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Copyright,  1921,  by 
The  International  Committee  of 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associations 


To  the  Senior  National  Secretary  of 

The  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  for  Russia 

Dear  Mr.  Phelps : 

In  submitting-  this  somewhat  delayed  report  of  my  experi¬ 
ences  in  Siberia  last  year  with  the  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association,  I  would  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  it  was 
written  during  my  summer  vacation  at  Takayama,  Japan. 
Owing  to  the  absence  of  reference  books  of  all  kinds,  even 
English  dictionaries,  I  have  depended  entirely  upon  my  diary 
and  field  notes  made  during  my  stay  in  Siberia.  I  cannot  hope 
that  the  report  will  be  free  from  errors.  I  have,  however,  tried 
to  describe  conditions  as  I  saw  them  and  to  record  conversa¬ 
tions  as  I  understood  them.  I  am  indebted  to  many  writers 
on  Russia  and  her  Church  for  much  information  embodied  in 
the  report,  and  have  tried  to  make  due  acknowledgment  of  my 
indebtedness.  I  wish  to  assume  entire  responsibility  for  all 
conclusions  I  have  drawn. 

Deaconess  Newbold,  of  the  American  Episcopal  Church  of 
Aomori,  Japan,  a  former  co-worker,  assisted  me  greatly  in  the 
work  of  preparation.  Not  only  did  she  contribute  the  me¬ 
chanical  work  of  typing,  but  also  gave  me  many  valuable 
suggestions.  This  assistance  she  has  voluntarily  rendered  as 
her  contribution  to  the  cause  of  the  reunion  of  the  churches, 
which  lies  so  close  to  her  heart. 

Yours  sincerely, 

FREDERIC  CHARLES  MEREDITH. 

Takayama,  Japan, 

September  6,  1920. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/youngmenschristiOOmere 


INTRODUCTION 


The  year  nineteen  hundred  and  eighteen  found  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  under  the  leadership  of  a  senior 
national  secretary,  Mr.  G.  S.  Phelps,  established  for  work  in 
Siberia.  The  problems  confronting  the  Association  were  many 
and  varied,  such  as  army  work,  with  the  United  States  and 
Allied  troops,  and  regular  city  Association  work,  with  its 
religious,  educational,  social,  and  physical  phases,  which 
naturally  had  to  do  with  the  Russian  people. 

The  senior  national  secretary  recognized  the  fact  that  the 
work  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  among  the 
Russian  people  could  be  best  served  by  cooperation  with  the 
Russian  National  Church.  The  steps  which  he  took  to  accom¬ 
plish  this  form  the  subject  matter  of  this  report. 

From  the  inception  of  the  Association  work,  he  never  lost 
sight  of  the  fact  that  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  is  the 
determining  religious  influence  of  the  country.  This  view, 
however,  was  not  held  by  all  the  secretaries  of  the  Young 
Men’s  Christian  Association  at  the  beginning;  nevertheless,  as 
time  went  on,  many  became  convinced  of  the  truth  of  this. 

The  growing  cordiality  and  mutual  understanding  existing 
between  the  Anglican  communion — particularly  the  American 
and  English  Churches — and  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church, 
was  a  factor  in  determining  the  method  of  approach.  Among 
the  personnel  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  in 
Siberia,  I  was  the  only  priest  of  the  Anglican  communion, 
and,  naturally,  the  senior  national  secretary  detailed  me  for 
this  mission.  This  made  it  necessary  for  me  to  leave  my  work 
among  the  American  troops  stationed  at  Spasskoe.  The  com¬ 
mission  was  most  acceptable  to  me,  as  for  many  years  I  had 
been  deeply  interested  in  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  and 
had  made  some  progress  as  a  student  of  its  problems. 

The  Russian  Orthodox  Church  at  large  was  not  familiar 
with  the  work  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  and, 
therefore,  preliminary  studies  were  necessary  before  anything 
definite  in  the  way  of  cooperation  could  even  be  considered. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Association,  generally  speaking,  was 
as  ignorant  of  the  Orthodox  Church,  as  the  Church  was  of 
the  Association.  To  be  sure,  Dr.  Mott  had  been  most  cordially 
received  by  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  in  Russia  proper, 
but  the  results  of  his  reception  and  subsequent  experiences 
with  church  officials  were  not  available  for  our  use  at  this  time. 


3 


The  necessary  preliminary  steps,  therefore,  were  as  follows : 

1.  A  study  of  the  Holy  Orthodox-Catholic  Apostolic 
(Greco-Russian)  Church,  through  its  officials,  and  by  attend¬ 
ance  at  its  worship. 

2.  An  explanation  of  the  principles  and  methods  of  work  of 
the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  to  the  bishops,  clergy, 
and  laity  of  the  Church. 

3.  An  exposition  of  the  Holy  Orthodox-Catholic  Apostolic 
(Greco-Russian)  Church,  its  doctrines  and  worship,  to  the 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  secretaries  in  the  field, 
together  with  a  general  consideration  of  their  local  interests 
and  problems  with  reference  to  the  Church. 

4.  A  survey  of  religious  conditions  in  the  cities,  in  order  to 
estimate  the  influence  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  and 
other  religious  bodies  upon  the  life  of  the  people. 

5.  An  investigation  of  student  life  and  activities,  especially 
with  reference  to  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  in  order  to 
furnish  the  data  for  educational  and  religious  programs. 

TOMSK 

With  the  unsettled  conditions,  and  the  difficulties  of  com¬ 
munication,  it  was  at  first  thought  impossible  to  make  a  gen¬ 
eral  study  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church.  The  question, 
therefore,  was  where  actually  to  begin.  The  fact  that  the 
Bishop  of  Tomsk  and  Altai,  the  Right  Reverend  Anatoli,  was 
known  to  be  kindly  disposed  toward  the  Young  Men’s  Chris¬ 
tian  Association,  having  become  acquainted  with  its  activities 
in  America,  and  also  the  fact  that  he  spoke  English  perfectly, 
suggested  to  the  senior  national  secretary,  that  a  definite  be¬ 
ginning  be  made  at  Tomsk. 

On  February  23,  1919,  I  left  my  work  at  Spasskoe  and 
arrived  at  Vladivostok.  There  I  had  several  conferences  with 
Mr.  Phelps,  with  reference  to  the  details  of  my  mission,  and 
he  commissioned  me  as  his  personal  representative.  Accord¬ 
ingly,  acting  under  his  verbal  instructions,  I  left  Vladivostok 
on  March  6,  1919,  by  the  Trans-Siberian  Express  for  the  city 
of  Tomsk. 

Tomsk  is  undoubtedly  the  educational  and  cultural  center 
for  Siberia.  A  more  beautifully  situated  city  would  be  hard 
to  imagine.  Skirted  by  the  River  Tom,  it  lies  in  a  depression 
among  the  hills  through  which  the  train  winds,  and  as  the 
snow-covered  town  bursts  on  the  view,  the  dome  of  the  stately 
cathedral  shining  in  the  sun  dominates  the  foreground,  while 

4 


beyond,  crowning  the  hills,  the  white  buildings  of  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Tomsk  and  the  Technological  Institute  supply  the 
background  of  a  beautiful  picture.  Moreover,  every  hill  is 
topped  by  a  church,  each  with  its  own  distinctive  architecture, 
yet  possessing  the  characteristic  dome.  Frozen  for  months  in 
the  winter  time,  the  River  Tom  is  navigable  for  three  or  four 
months  in  the  summer,  during  which  time  it  forms  a  beautiful 
approach  to  the  city. 

Due  to  war  conditions,  Tomsk  showed  but  few  signs  of  its 
former  prosperity.  The  principal  buildings  were  requisitioned 
by  the  military  authorities,  and  Czech,  Jugo-Slav,  and  Russian 
troops  wrere  quartered  at  various  points.  The  University  and 
Technological  Institute  were  conducting  classes  as  usual,  but 
the  student  bodies  were  greatly  reduced,  and  most  of  the 
resources  of  the  institutions  had  been  placed  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Government.  The  city  was  crowded  with  refugees,  and 
accommodations,  when  they  could  be  obtained,  were  very  ex¬ 
pensive.  The  hotel  service  was  extremely  poor  and  the  shops 
and  stores  in  the  principal  streets,  while  they  kept  their  doors 
open,  displayed  little  for  sale.  There  was  plenty  of  social 
activity  in  the  city.  Missions  of  various  nations  were  quar¬ 
tered  there,  and  the  American  Red  Cross  was  actively  at  work. 
Much  unrest  was  felt  in  the  country  districts  about  Tomsk, 
but  the  city  itself  was  so  carefully  patrolled  by  the  military 
forces,  particularly  the  Czechs,  that  conditions  were  fairly 
normal.  The  United  States  was  represented  by  a  Vice-Consul, 
Mr.  D’llle,  and  the  consulate  was  the  meeting  ground  for 
Americans.  For  some  months,  plans  had  been  on  foot  for 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  work  in  the  city,  and  a 
general  secretary  was  in  residence. 

On  Tuesday,  March  18th,  Mr.  Alexander  paid  a  visit  to  the 
Right  Reverend,  the  Bishop  of  Tomsk  and  Altai,  Anatoli,  and 
arranged  for  my  first  interview  on  the  following  day. 

I  found  Bishop  Anatoli  to  be  a  man  of  the  highest  culture, 
genial,  frank,  friendly,  and  of  deep  spirituality.  On  the  wall 
of  the  reception  room  was  a  large  picture  of  Archbishop 
Nicolai  of  Japan,  which  was  of  great  interest  to  a  missionary 
from  Japan,  and  really  opened  the  conversation  and  put  it  on 
a  friendly  basis.  Due  to  his  knowledge  of  English,  we  were 
able  to  discuss  many  problems  with  ease  and  facility;  there¬ 
fore,  the  formal  interview  resolved  itself  into  a  friendly  con¬ 
versation  upon  a  variety  of  topics,  and  before  long,  we  were 
engaged  in  unpacking  a  box  of  church  vestments  and  orna¬ 
ments. 


5 


Finding  two-year  old  copies  of  Association  Men  on  the  re¬ 
ception  room  table  assured  me  of  his  interest  in  our  organiza¬ 
tion.  He  then  spoke  of  the  Association  as  he  had  known  it  in 
America,  and  called  my  attention  to  several  books  on  the 
subject  which  he  had  in  his  library.  He  seemed  to  be  pleased 
that  our  Association  wished  to  learn  more  about  the  Russian 
Orthodox  Church,  and  at  this,  and  all  other  visits,  he  showed 
a  keen  delight  in  explaining  the  intricacies  of  church  cere¬ 
monial,  and  showered  me  with  suggestions  and  plans  for  ex¬ 
tending  my  mission  into  a  general  study  of  the  Church.  He 
called  my  attention  to  various  pamphlets  of  the  Faith  and 
Order  Commission  of  the  American  Episcopal  Church,  to¬ 
gether  with  many  books  in  his  library  dealing  with  the  ques¬ 
tion  of  reunion.  He  expressed  a  desire  for  a  deeper  acquaint¬ 
ance  and  a  more  intimate  association  in  church  affairs,  and 
extended  to  me,  as  a  clergyman  of  the  American  Episcopal 
Church,  many  privileges  in  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church. 
The  senior  priest  of  the  New  Cathedral  was  present  during 
the  latter  part  of  our  interview,  and  we  discussed  the  Asso¬ 
ciation  and  also  church  matters  in  general,  with  the  Bishop 
acting  as  interpreter. 

This  friendly  visit  lasted  some  three  hours  or  more.  For  a 
bishop  of  a  diocese  of  some  fifteen  hundred  churches  and, 
therefore,  a  very  busy  man,  to  give  three  hours  out  of  a  full 
day  to  a  stranger,  on  his  first  visit,  was  unexpected.  The  fact 
that  I  met  with  this  pleasant  reception  on  my  first  interview 
with  a  Russian  Orthodox  bishop  led  me  to  anticipate  the 
hearty  courtesy,  brotherly  love,  and  affection  which  afterward 
greeted  me  from  Omsk,  in  the  west,  to  Blagovestchensk,  at  the 
extreme  east  of  broad  Siberia. 

On  Saturday,  March  22nd,  I  dined  with  Professor  Wineberg, 
of  the  chair  of  physics,  in  the  institution  known  before  the 
Revolution  as  the  Nicholas  II.  Tomsk  Technological  Institute. 
Naturally,  we  spoke  on  educational  topics,  and,  in  addition,  he 
gave  me  many  bits  of  information  concerning  the  Russian 
Orthodox  Church.  I  questioned  him  about  the  relation  of 
the  Intelligence  to  the  Church  and  her  teachings. 

The  attitude  of  the  Intelligence  towards  the  Russian  Ortho¬ 
dox  Church  is  an  interesting  problem.  Before  these  unsettled 
times,  they  paid  little  attention  to  the  Church,  maintaining 
nothing  more  than  a  formal  relation,  but  during  these  days  of 
uncertainty,  the  Intelligence  as  a  class  seem  to  have  returned, 
to  some  extent,  to  the  Church,  as  the  fount  of  religious  truth 
and  reality.  When  I  questioned  one  of  them  as  to  the  reason 

6 


for  this,  he  said,  “Where  else  can  we  turn  than  to  our  Holy 
Mother,  the  Church?  There  is  no  help  for  us  other  than  in 
her  teaching.” 

A  few  days  later,  I  met  Professor  Penn,  who  occupies  the 
chair  of  mining  engineering  in  the  same  institution,  and  later 
came  to  know  him  quite  well  visiting,  at  his  suggestion,  his 
parish  church,  and  conferring  with  the  clergy.*  Of  this,  I  shall 
speak  later  in  this  report. 

The  New  Cathedral  of  Tomsk  occupies  the  principal  square, 
and  is  an  impressive  building.  The  interior  is  one  of  rare 
beauty  and  lends  itself  readily  to  the  beautiful  ceremonial  of 
an  Orthodox  service.  The  first  service  I  attended  here  was 
the  service  of  Vespers  and  Matins,  with  the  Bishop  of  Tomsk 
and  Altai  officiating. 

On  Sunday,  March  23rd,  I  was  present  at  the  Liturgy  of 
St.  Chrysostom  in  the  New  Cathedral.  This  wonderful  liturgy 
never  fails  to  make  a  profound  impression,  and  I  was  deeply 
moved. 

On  Thursday,  March  27th,  I  called  for  a  second  time  on 
the  Bishop,  Anatoli,  and  for  three  hours  or  more,  we  discussed 
church  matters,  general  and  local,  and  also  the  work  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  and  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa¬ 
tion  in  Siberia.  Upon  this  occasion,  the  Bishop  gave  me  a 
cordial  invitation  to  be  present  behind  the  screen  at  the  cathe¬ 
drals  during  worship.  He  also  gave  me  a  card  of  introduction 
to  all  the  clergy  of  the  diocese,  carrying  with  it  permission 
to  worship  behind  the  screen  in  some  fifteen  hundred  or  more 
churches. 

In  the  diocese  of  Tomsk,  previous  to  the  Revolution,  a 
thriving  missionary  society  for  work  in  the  Altai  region  had 
been  in  operation  for  years.  In  the  old  days,  this  Altai  Mis¬ 
sionary  Society  received  a  grant  of  more  than  40,000  roubles 
a  year  from  Moscow.  This  sum  had  been  cut  of!  at  the 
Revolution,  but  the  work  was  still  being  carried  on,  and  the 
Bishop  told  me  that  a  meeting  of  the  Society  would  be  held 
that  evening  in  the  episcopal  palace.  It  is  not  generally  known 
that  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  is  a  great  missionary 
church,  yet  the  sight  of  the  Cross  surmounting  the  Crescent 
on  most  Russian  Orthodox  churches  is  .a  reminder  of  the 
struggle  of  the  Church  with  Mohammedanism. 

On  Saturday,  March  29th,  I  attended  a  service  in  the  New 
Cathedral,  and,  for  the  first  time,  occupied  a  special  place 
behind  the  screen.  A  prayer  desk  was  provided  for  my  service 
books,  a  carpet  to  kneel  on,  a  taper  to  see  by,  and  an  acolyte 

7 


to  attend  to  every  want.  I  was  much  impressed  with  the 
dignity  of  the  clergy  and  the  reverence  shown  by  them  in 
their  performance  of  the  service.  With  all  the  elaborate  cere¬ 
monial,  there  seemed  to  be  a  simplicity  which  was  most  re¬ 
freshing.  Nothing  appeared  to  be  done  for  effect,  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  everything  done  seemed  to  be  effective. 

At  this,  and  all  other  church  functions  during  my  whole 
connection  with  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  I  wore  the 
regular  uniform  of  a  secretary  of  the  American  Expeditionary 
Force.  This  I  considered  very  necessary  in  view  of  the  many 
criticisms  of  the  “Red  Triangle,”  both  inside  and  outside  the 
Church.  The  apex  of  the  triangle  in  many  Russian  Orthodox 
church  decorations,  and  especially  in  representations  and  pic¬ 
tures  of  God  the  Father,  points  upward;  therefore  to  many 
the  red  triangle,  pointing  downward  instead  of  upward, 
seemed  to  be  a  popular  “devil  sign”  or  a  Jewish  emblem. 

Sunday,  March  30th,  proved  to  be  one  of  the  pleasantest 
days  of  my  stay  in  Tomsk.  On  the  invitation  of  the  Bishop,  I 
was  present  at  the  Epiarchal  School  chapel  for  the  Liturgy. 
A  special  place  was  provided  for  me  behind  the  screen,  and 
every  possible  courtesy  was  shown  me.  After  the  Consecra¬ 
tion  in  the  Liturgy,  the  Bishop  presented  me  with  his  own 
“altar  bread,”  from  which  a  particle  had  been  taken  for  the 
Holy  Communion ;  at  the  same  time,  I  received  “the  blessed 
warm  water  and  wine.”  In  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  I 
believe  this  to  be  a  singular  mark  of  courtesy  to  outsiders ; 
however,  receiving  the  “altar  bread”  and  “the  blessed  warm 
water  and  wine”  must  not  be  confounded  with  receiving  the 
Holy  Communion. 

The  Epiarchal  School  is  the  diocesan  school  for  the  daugh¬ 
ters  of  the  clergy.  In  former  times,  the  reputation  of  the 
school  drew  students  from  many  parts  of  Russia  and  Siberia, 
but  now  the  attendance  was  reduced  to  a  couple  of  hundred 
students.  The  sight  of  a  chapel  full  of  young  girls,  dressed 
in  red,  with  white  aprons  and  white  caps  and  white  stockings, 
was  one  to  be  remembered.  They  stood  for  several  hours, 
without  apparent  fatigue  or  listlessness,  and  their  singing 
was  truly  remarkable. 

At  the  close  of  the  long  service,  the  Bishop,  the  chaplain, 
and  the  principal  invited  me  to  the  lunch  provided  for  the 
guests  attending  the  graduation  exercises.  Seated  with  the 
Bishop  at  the  high  table,  I  saw  Russian  hospitality  at  its 
best.  At  the  graduation  exercises,  I  had  the  honor  of  dis¬ 
tributing  the  diplomas  and  of  awarding  the  prizes.  The 

8 


Bishop  appeared  a  real  father  among  these,  his  spiritual  chil¬ 
dren,  who  deeply  appreciated  his  words  of  commendation.  At 
our  request,  the  students  sang  parts  of  the  church  service, 
and  responded  to  many  an  encore.  Before  the  close  of  the 
exercises,  upon  request,  with  the  Bishop  acting  as  interpreter, 
I  spoke  to  the  students  and  guests  on  the  subject  of  education, 
laying  particular  stress  upon  Christianity  as  the  foundation 
of  all  true  education. 

This  school  interested  me  in  that  it  showed  that  the  Church, 
in  thus  educating  the  daughters  of  the  clergy,  does  provide 
some  suitable  educational  facilities  for  the  coming  generation. 
Since  many  of  these  school  girls  marry  clergy,  it  would  seem 
to  indicate  that  the  household  of  the  parish  priest  would  be 
a  well-instructed  one.  The  charming  simplicity  of  these  pupils 
in  the  presence  of  their  bishop  and  instructors,  lingers  as  a 
pleasant  memory. 

After  the  exercises,  I  accompanied  the  Bishop  on  his  in¬ 
spection  of  the  Siberian  Army’s  new  automobile  school, 
installed  in  some  of  the  buildings  of  the  Epiarchal  School, 
and  also  visited  seventy  or  more  orphans  quartered  in  yet 
another  of  the  school  buildings. 

On  April  4th  I  was  present  at  the  Old  Cathedral  for  Vespers 
and  Matins,  but  did  not  go  behind  the  screen.  The  Old  Cathe¬ 
dral  at  Tomsk  is  a  building  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  years 
old  and  contains  many  beautiful  ikons. 

At  night,  I  was  invited  to  dinner  at  the  home  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Vice-Consul,  Mr.  DTlle.  Mrs.  DTlle  is  a  Russian  well 
acquainted  with  her  Church,  and  helped  me  in  many  ways, 
such  as  giving  me  information  on  points  in  the  worship,  trans¬ 
lating  and  interpreting.  Mr.  DTlle  has  spent  several  years  in 
Russia  and  Siberia,  and  knows  it  well.  He  proved  at  all  times 
to  be  a  genuine  American,  and  from  time  to  time  gave  me 
valuable  aid. 

On  April  6th,  the  Metropolitan  of  Kazan,  the  Archbishop 
Joseph,  pontificated  at  the  Liturgy  in  the  chapel  of  the  epis¬ 
copal  palace.  I  was  present  behind  the  screen  and  was  ac¬ 
corded  the  usual  courtesies,'  and  also  received  the  “altar 
bread”  and  “the  blessed  warm  water  and  wine”  from  the 
Archbishop.  During  the  Liturgy,  there  was  an  ordination  to 
the  diaconate,  which  was  the  first  I  had  witnessed  during  my 
stay  in  Siberia.  The  deacon  after  his  ordination  was  able  to 
take  his  place  immediately  as  one  of  the  ministers  without 
any  hesitancy  whatsoever.  This  shows  excellent  preliminary 
training. 


9 


At  this,  and  other  services  I  attended  in  Russian  churches, 

I  found  large  congregations  of  all  classes.  I  did  note  from 
time  to  time  the  absence  of  young  men  generally,  due  to  the 
war;  but  the  attendance  of  boys  was  excellent. 

On  April  7th  (March  25th,  old  calendar),  being  the  Feast 
of  the  Annunciation,  Bishop  Anatoli  pontificated  at  the  New 
Cathedral.  The  Liturgy  was  preceded  by  the  Hours.  Rus¬ 
sian  church  music  is  of  such  a  high  standard  that  it  is  hardly 
necessary  to  call  attention  to  the  music  of  particular  services, 
yet  at  this  feast  it  was  certainly  unusually  fine.  At  this  ser¬ 
vice,  I  particularly  noted  that,  with  growing  familiarity  with 
the  Liturgy,  comes  deeper  appreciation  of  its  spiritual  content. 
On  this  day,  following  the  Liturgy,  there  was  a  most  moving 
ceremony.  Troops  about  to  be  dispatched  to  the  Front  were 
drawn  up  in  the  Cathedral  Square  in  church  parade  formation, 
and  the  Bishop  and  clergy,  leaving  the  church  in  procession, 
gave  them  the  formal  blessing. 

When  I  next  visited  Bishop  Anatoli,  he  asked  about  my 
progress  in  the  Russian  language,  expressing  a  wish  that  I 
should  take  part  in  the  church  services  as  soon  as  I  had 
acquired  sufficient  proficiency.  As  a  priest  of  the  American 
Episcopal  Church,  I  had  with  me  the  proper  vestments  of  my 
office,  but  on  this  mission,  I  considered  it  best  always  to  be 
present  in  the  regulation  uniform  of  the  Association. 

The  Bishop  was  much  interested  in  the  progress  of  the 
Association  work  in  the  city  of  Tomsk  among  the  soldiers  and 
university  students  and  he  seemed  to  realize  its  difficulties. 
The  well  conducted  clubs  for  the  Czechs  and  Jugo-Slavs 
demonstrated  the  manner  in  which  the  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association  work  is  done  on  a  large  scale,  and  proved  helps 
in  the  general  propaganda,  as  many  of  the  people  saw  such 

clubs  for  the  first  time.  ....  ,.1t 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  Bishop,  I  visited  the  artillery 

barracks  in  Tomsk,  and  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  zealous 
young  priest,  who  had  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  collected 
a  large  sum  of  money  and  furnished  a  chapel  complete.  This, 
in  times  so  troubled,  shows  the  zeal  of  a  priest  and  the  ready 
response  of  the  people  to  a  church  need.  Later  in  the  morn¬ 
ing,  the  priest  took  me  to  his  rooms  and  showed  me  all  the 
ornaments  and  vestments  for  the  new  church.  Relationships 
with  the  clergy  established  so  naturally  as  this,  for  instance, 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  it  is  along  the  route  of  friendli¬ 
ness  and  understanding  that  one  may  enter  into  the  spirit 
and  gain  a  real  appreciation  of  this  great  historic  church. 

10 


The  Palm  Sunday  services  began  at  the  New  Cathedral  on 
the  evening  of  April  12th,  and  lasted  from  six  to  ten.  I  have 
never  seen  a  larger  crowd  at  a  religious  service  or  a  more 
orderly  and  devout  congregation.  For  nearly  four  hours 
scarcely  anyone  left  the  building,  and  among  the  congregation 
were  to  be  noted  a  great  many  children.  The  pussy  willow 
was  substituted  for  the  palms  generally  used  in  America,  and 
the  distribution  of  these  flowers  was  reverent  and  devotional. 
Holy  Week  was  thus  auspiciously  begun. 

On  Sunday,  April  13th,  Bishop  Anatoli  dedicated  this  church 
in  the  artillery  barracks.  As  this  was  the  first  service  of  dedi¬ 
cation  of  a  Russian  church  I  had  ever  attended,  it  proved 
deeply  interesting.  A  choir  of  twenty  nuns  from  the  neighbor¬ 
ing  convent  furnished  the  music,  supported  by  a  well-drilled 
choir  of  soldiers  in  the  nave  of  the  church.  From  my  place 
behind  the  screen  every  detail  of  the  service  could  be  readily 
observed. 

The  Office  of  Consecration  is  so  filled  with  minute  rubrical 
directions  that  at  first  the  service  appears  a  hopeless  tangle, 
but,  when  thoroughly  studied,  it  proves  to  be  a  wonderful 
exposition  of  symbolism  in  worship.  A  few  examples  of  this 
symbolism  may  be  of  interest. 

The  altar  represents  the  sepulchre  of  Christ,  and  at  the  top 
of  the  altar  columns  places  are  hollowed  out  and  filled  with 
wax,  mingled  with  fragrant  spices.  These  represent  the  sweet 
smelling  spices  with  which  Joseph  of  Arimathea  and  Nico- 
demus  anointed  the  body  of  our  Lord  when  they  laid  Him  in 
the  tomb. 

When  the  top  of  the  altar  is  fixed  to  the  columns,  it  is  nailed 
at  the  four  corners.  This  nailing  represents  the  nailing  of  our 
Lord  to  the  cross.  These  nails  are  driven  in  with  stones  and 
the  stones  are  afterward  placed  beneath  the  altar.  When  the 
altar  is  bound  with  a  cord,  it  is  to  typify  the  cord  with  which 
our  Lord  was  bound  when  He  was  led  before  Annas  and 
Caiaphas. 

The  double  vesting  of  the  altar  signifies  its  double  mean¬ 
ing — the  tomb  of  Christ  and  the  throne  of  God.  The  beautiful 
altar  coverings,  made  of  the  finest  materials  and  wrought  with 
the  greatest  care,  are  to  call  attention  not  to  themselves  but 
to  the  glory  of  God’s  throne. 

The  circle,  without  beginning  and  without  end,  is  the  sym¬ 
bol  of  the  eternal  God,  and  to  signify  that  the  building  is 
consecrated  forever  to  Him,  the  bishop  in  procession  circles 
about  the  church  being  dedicated.  That  is  to  say,  the  sym- 

11 


bolic  actions  of  the  Office  of  Consecration  enrich  the  beauty 
and  devotion  of  the  prayers  enshrined  in  it,  and  are  a  won¬ 
derful  means  for  making  truth  live. 

General  Janin,  the  Senior  Allied  Commander,  and  officers 
of  the  Russian  Army,  as  well  as  members  of  the  French 
Military  Mission,  were  present  at  this  dedication.  The  service 
was  followed  by  a  military  review  and  banquet.  The  Mother 
Superior  and  Guest  Mother  of  the  neighboring  convent  were 
among  the  guests,  and  I  was  delighted  to  receive  from  them 
a  cordial  invitation  to  visit  their  convent  at  my  earliest  con¬ 
venience. 

Wednesday  of  Holy  Week,  J  attended  the  Liturgy  of  the 
Pre-Sanctified  at  the  Old  Cathedral. 

In  the  afternoon,  after  a  conference  with  one  of  the  pro¬ 
fessors  of  the  Technological  Institute,  I  went  to  the  chapel 
of  the  University  of  Tomsk  for  Vespers  and  Matins,  and  was 
treated  with  the  usual  courtesy  of  being  shown  behind  the 
screen,  and  having  my  needs  well  provided  for.  The  uni¬ 
versity  chapel  is  now  used  as  a  parish  church,  and  at  this  ser¬ 
vice  was  completely  filled  with  students  and  parishioners. 
This  chapel  is  one  of  the  finest  to  be  found  in  Siberia. 

Later  on  I  had  the  opportunity,  at  the  home  of  one  of  the 
professors,  of  talking  over  with  him  religious  conditions 
among  students,  and  obtained  some  insight  into  this  great 
problem.  Moreover,  speaking  of  the  renewed  interest  of  the 
people  in  their  Church,  he  characterized  it  as  “a  religious 
mania.”  To  be  sure,  the  observance  of  fast  days  and  days 
of  abstinence  has  among  a  certain  class  undoubtedly  been  neg¬ 
lected  ;  nevertheless,  it  is  true  that  millions  of  people  do  ob¬ 
serve  the  Church’s  fasts  and  festivals  and  draw  from  them 
their  inspiration  to  better  things. 

On  Great  Thursday,  I  attended  the  Liturgy  of  St.  Basil 
the  Great,  at  the  New  Cathedral,  and  was  shown  the  usual 
courtesies  which  have  been  accorded  me  with  unfailing  regu¬ 
larity,  since  I  came  into  this  Diocese  of  Tomsk. 

At  seven  o’clock  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  I  attended 
the  Great  Friday  Passion  Service — “The  Office  of  the  Holy 
and  Redeeming  Sufferings  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.”  The 
feature  of  this  service  is  the  reading  of  twelve  portions  of 
the  Holy  Gospels,  dealing  with  our  Lord’s  Passion.  The 
Bishop  was  present  and  read  the  First  Gospel,  and  eight 
clergy  each  read  a  portion  in  turn.  At  the  conclusion  of  each 
gospel,  candles  were  lighted  and  the  cathedral  bells  rung  to 
indicate  the  number  of  the  gospel  portion  read.  The  great 

12 


church  was  crowded  to  suffocation.  During  the  service,  the 
enormous  congregation  held  lighted  candles,  and  when  this 
long  service  was  concluded  at  half  past  ten,  they  carried  these 
lighted  candles  to  their  homes.  As  the  night  was  cold  and 
windy,  the  people  had  brought  to  the  church  all  sorts  of 
lanterns,  bottles,  lamp  chimneys,  and  paper  bags  to  guard 
the  light,  but,  even  with  these  precautions,  it  was  no  easy  task 
to  keep  the  candles  lighted,  and  there  was  a  constant  bor¬ 
rowing  of  lights  as  the  various  groups  made  their  way  home¬ 
ward.  It  reminded  me  of  illuminations,  torch  light  proces¬ 
sions,  and  transparencies,  with  which  we  celebrate  political, 
athletic,  and  social  affairs  in  America,  often  measuring  the 
success  of  the  occasion  by  the  amount  of  light  and  noise 
produced ;  but  as  I  watched  the  congregation  making  their 
way  to  their  homes  so  quietly,  bearing  so  carefully  in  the 
windy  night  this  symbol  of  the  Christ,  the  Light  of  the 
World,  the  contrast  and  the  lesson  learned  thereby  were  a 
great  help  in  one’s  Easter  preparation,  and  to  me  it  seemed 
that  the  whole-hearted  participation  of  every  worshipper 
showed  that  the  inner  significance  of  this  solemn  service  was 
fully  grasped.  Speaking  of  Great  Friday  Vespers,  at  which 
time  the  ceremony  of  the  Winding  Sheet,  symbolical  of  the 
burial  of  Christ,  is  celebrated,  the  Bishop  characterized  it  as 
“very  solemn,”  and  the  rubric  says:  “Especially  affecting 
is  Vespers  which  is  celebrated  on  Great  Friday  at  four  o’clock 
when  the  Winding  Sheet  is  brought  into  the  center  of  the 
temple.”  I  have  been  present  at  many  Good  Friday  services 
in  various  churches,  but  never  has  the  drama  of  our  Lord’s 
burial  been  so  vividly  and  reverently  portrayed  to  me.  The 
Winding  Sheet  is  a  figure  of  the  Saviour  painted  on  a  beauti¬ 
fully  embroidered  cloth  and  this  cloth  is  spread  over  a  box, 
which  gives  the  impression  of  a  real  coffin.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  service,  this  cloth  rests  upon  the  altar,  and  later  is 
lifted  from  the  altar  and  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  the  clergy 
to  the  center  of  the  temple ;  there  it  is  laid  upon  the  box,  and 
the  resemblance  to  a  tomb  is  striking. 

Again  and  again,  as  one  attempts  to  describe  the  splendor 
of  Russian  worship — as,  for  instance,  such  a  service  as  this — 
one  feels  that  mere  words  obscure  the  impressions  rather  than 
describe  them.  To  a  Westerner,  unaccustomed  to  liturgical 
services,  the  detailed  impressions  of  this  service  would  be  lost, 
but  undoubtedly,  it  would  convey  to  anyone,  as  it  did  to  me, 
one  solemn  and  impressive  idea — the  first  Great  Friday  and 
its  eternal,  unchanging  significance  for  the  human  race. 

13 


It  is  not  generally  known  that  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church 
is  a  Bible  reading  church.  A  study  of  the  Offices  of  the  Rus¬ 
sian  Orthodox  Church  shows  the  great  amount  and  endless 
variety  of  biblical  allusion  and  quotation  in  their .  makeup. 
Moreover,  I  doubt  if  there  is  another  church  in  Christendom, 
in  which  as  lengthy  a  book  as  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  is 
read  through  at  one  service.  This  is  done  at  the  Great 
Saturday  vesper  service,  the  people  standing  throughout. 
The  Great  Saturday  vesper  service  I  attended  lasted  from 
eight  to  half  past  eleven  in  the  evening,  and  was  immediately 
followed  by  the  first  service  of  Easter. 

The  celebration  of  the  Queen  of  Feasts— Easter— at  the 
New  Cathedral,  was  the  most  glorious  I  have  ever  attended. 
The  crowds,  the  lights,  the  music,  the  incense,  the  gorgeous 
vestments,  the  numerous  priests,  all  expressed  the  great  theme, 
the  joy  of  the  Resurrection — “Christ  is  Risen!”  In  the  pro¬ 
cessions  and  the  singing  the  congregation  seemed  to  be  taking 
part  without  reserve.  Descending  from  his  throne  behind  the 
altar,  the  Bishop  gave  the  Easter  salutation  and  kissed  all 
the  priests  in  turn  three  times ;  then,  turning  to  me,  exclaimed 
in  English,  “Christ  is  Risen,”  and  on  my  responding  “Christ 
is  Risen  indeed,”  he  kissed  me  three  times  before  passing  into 
the  nave— as  did  also  all  the  other  priests  and  deacons  who 
officiated  in  this  great  service.  The  bestowal  of  the  three 
kisses  of  the  Easter  season  was,  to  the  initiated,  a  solemn  act. 

Like  all  Russian  cathedrals,  the  one  in  Tomsk  possesses  a 
stately  dome.  This  dome  is  beautifully  ornamented  with  a 
painting  of  God  the  Father  surrounded  by  an  host  of  angels. 
While  the  priests  about  the  altar  were  praying,  “Do  Thou 
the  same  Lord  look  down  from  Heaven  upon  those  who  have 
bowed  their  heads  before  Thee,”  almost  with  one  accord,  we 
looked  up  at  the  dome,  now  lighted  with  the  first  rays  of 
dawn,  and  it  seemed  peopled  with  the  Father  and  the  Holy 
Angels  looking  down  upon  the  vast  congregation  as  though 
in  answer  to  this  prayer. 

The  service  itself  lasted  until  four  in  the  morning,  and 
most  of  the  great  congregation  remained  to  the  end. 

The  church  was  carefully  guarded  at  all  times  during  the 
night  by  hundreds  of  soldiers,  who  had  shared  to  a  certain 
degree  in  the  services  held  within  the  cathedral.  As  they 
marched  away  in  the  early  morning  light,  it  was  a  forceful 
reminder  that  the  country  was  in  a  state  of  war,  and  that 
perils  beset  us  on  all  sides.  The  Cathedral  Square  had  been 

14 


often  swept  by  snipers’  bullets  in  times  past,  and  what  may 
be  the  condition  of  Tomsk  today,  who  can  say? 

At  the  close  of  the  service,  the  Easter  bells  were  rung  and 
the  ringing  continued  almost  uninterruptedly  for  three  days. 
Russia  is  justly  famous  for  its  beautiful  bells,  and  the  art 
of  bell-ringing  is  a  subject  in  itself. 

Mr.  Heald,  senior  secretary  for  Western  Siberia,  with  head¬ 
quarters  at  Omsk,  arrived  in  Tomsk  on  Easter  Sunday,  April 
20th,  too  late  for  the  Great  Easter  services.  However,  we 
visited  the  cathedral  that  day  and  joined  a  bell-ringing  party. 
At  this  time,  I  gave  him  a  verbal  account  of  my  mission.  He 
said  that  at  Omsk  there  was  a  lack  of  cordiality  between  the 
Russian  Orthodox  Church  and  the  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association,  which  he  thought  was  due  to  misunderstandings, 
and  urged  me  to  visit  that  city.  Although  my  original  mission 
was  to  the  city  and  diocese  of  Tomsk,  yet  at  his  earnest  solici¬ 
tation,  I  agreed  to  go  to  Omsk  for  a  month  or  more,  for  the 
purpose  of  visiting  the  Archbishop  of  Omsk,  Sylvestre,  who 
as  head  of  the  High  Temporal  Authority  of  the  Church,  was 
the  ranking  church  official  in  Siberia.  Secretary  Heald  con¬ 
ferred  with  the  senior  national  secretary  in  reference  to  this 
matter,  by  telegram.  Owing*  to  the  lack  of  transportation,  I 
could  not  start  for  several  days. 

Meanwhile,  Professor  Penn  paid  me  a  visit  on  Wednesday, 
April  23rd,  and  invited  me  to  visit  the  Church  of  the  Trans¬ 
figuration,  his  parish  church,  the  following  day.  This  church 
is  one  of  the  most  interesting  parish  churches  with  which  I 
am  acquainted,  and  on  my  visit  it  was  well  filled  and  the 
congregational  singing  was  noteworthy. 

I  attended  a  wedding  in  this  church.  The  sacrament  of  holy 
matrimony,  in  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  like  all  services, 
is  rich  in  symbol.  The  betrothal  at  the  entrance  of  the 
church,  with  its  solemn  promise  and  the  giving  of  the  ring, 
is  not  unlike  the  service  with  which  we  are  familiar.  The 
nuptial  benediction,  however,  with  the  placing  of  the  crowns 
on  the  heads  of  the  bride  and  groom,  together  with  the 
triple  blessing  and  the  prayer  used  by  the  priest,  “that  the 
Lord  may  crown  them  with  glory  and  honor,”  is  unfamiliar. 
The  crowns  represent  a  reward  for  the  purity  and  chastity  of 
their  lives,  and  are  held  over  the  heads  of  the  bride  and 
groom  by  their  attendants.  Wine  is  used  in  the  marriage 
sacrament,  recalling  the  first  miracle  of  our  Lord  at  the  mar¬ 
riage  of  Cana  in  Galilee.  When  the  bridal  pair  drink  from 
the  same  cup,  it  is  a  symbol  of  their  sharing  the  joys  and  sor- 

15 


rows  of  life  equally.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony  the 
couple  are  led  three  times  around  the  lectern,  on  which  rest 
the  Cross  and  the  Book  of  the  Gospels.  As  the  circle  is  the 
symbol  of  eternity,  the  happy  pair  thus  signify  their  oath  to 
preserve  forever  the  sacredness  of  the  marriage  bond  by  cir¬ 
cling  the  lectern  three  times  in  honor  of  the  Holy  Trinity, 
who  is  thus  invoked  to  bear  witness  to  their  solemn  contract. 

On  the  afternoon  of  April  24th,  I  spent  three  hours  with 
the  Bishop  at  the  episcopal  palace,  when,  among  other  things, 
I  told  him  of  my  proposed  visit  to  Omsk,  and,  on  his  own 
initiative,  he  very  kindly  gave  me  a  letter  of  introduction  to 
the  Most  Reverend  the  Archbishop  of  Omsk,  Sylvestre. 

OMSK 

Omsk,  some  5,350  versts  from  Vladivostok,  was  the  seat 
of  the  Government,  and  is  a  most  interesting  place.  It  has 
been  described  as  ‘‘the  Chicago  of  Siberia.”  In  normal  times, 
the  population  did  not  exceed  100,000,  but  at  the  time  of  my 
visit,  it  was  estimated  that  the  city  contained  more  than 
600,000  people.  I  have  never  seen  these  figures  verified,  but 
judging  from  my  observation,  they  do  not  appear  to  be  an 
over-estimate.  While  Omsk  is  somewhat  isolated,  it  is  famous 
as  the  place  where  Feodor  Dostoievsky  wrote  “Recollections 
of  a  Dead  House.”  It  is  a  great  Cossack  center,  and,  there¬ 
fore,  the  character  of  the  churches  differs  somewhat  from  those 
of  Tomsk.  The  most  famous  is  the  Church  of  St.  Nicholas, 
containing  many  Cossack  banners,  the  most  noted  of  which  is 
the  banner  of  Yermak,  the  Cossack  bandit,  enshrined  as 
Siberia’s  sacred  relic.  Many  pilgrimages  are  made  to  this 
shrine.  Beside  these  blood-soaked  banners  of  war,  hang  the 
banners  of  the  local  Boy  Scouts — spotless  emblems  of  peace. 

On  the  day  after  my  arrival,  I  gave  a  talk  to  the  Association 
secretaries  and  their  friends,  at  the  rooms  of  the  general 
secretary  for  Omsk,  Mr.  Bertram  Mitchell,  on  the  subject 
of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  relating  my  experiences  and 
summarizing  the  results  of  my  investigations  regarding  the 
relation  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  and  the 
individual  secretaries  to  the  Church.  I  emphasized  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  patience  and  knowledge. 

A  few  days  later,  in  company  with  the  senior  chaplain  of 
the  British  Expeditionary  Force  in  Siberia,  Major  H.  McCaus- 
land,  M.C.,  I  paid  my  first  visit  to  the  Most  Reverend  the 
Archbishop  of  Omsk,  Sylvestre.  Expecting  to  find  someone  at 
the  palace  who  could  speak  English,  we  did  not  take  an  inter- 

16 


preter  with  us.  When  I  presented  my  letter  of  introduction 
from  the  Bishop  of  Tomsk  and  Altai  to  the  Most  Reverend 
the  Archbishop,  he  received  us  cordially,  but  since  he  spoke 
no  English,  and  none  of  the  clergy  about  the  palace  were 
proficient,  we  were  not  able  to  carry  on  a  very  lively  con¬ 
versation.  When  the  Archbishop  saw  the  hat  badge  and  the 
“red  triangle”  of  my  uniform,  he  was  greatly  disturbed  and 
gave  us  to  understand  that  he  considered  those  emblems 
Masonic  and  Jewish.  In  our  combined  efforts  to  correct  his 
impression,  our  lack  of  sufficient  knowledge  of  Russian  made 
matters  much  worse,  and  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  leave 
him  with  this  wrong  impression  concerning  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association,  which,  however,  was  fortunately  dis¬ 
pelled  at  our  next  meeting. 

On  Sunday,  accompanied  by  General  Secretary  Mitchell,  I 
was  present  at  the  cathedral  for  the  Liturgy.  The  Most 
Reverend  the  Archbishop  pontificated,  and  from  our  place  in 
the  nave  I  had  the  opportunity  of  acquainting  Secretary 
Mitchell  from  time  to  time  with  parts  of  the  Liturgy,  and,  at 
the  reading  of  the  Epistle  and  Gospel,  I  found  the  places  for 
him  in  his  English  Bible.  With  this  as  a  start,  he  began  his 
study  and  appreciation  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church. 

This  cathedral  at  Omsk  had  been  used  for  several  Sundays 
by  the  British  military  forces  for  the  purpose  of  worship. 
This  evidence  of  friendliness  on  the  part  of  the  Russian  Ortho¬ 
dox  Church  in  the  capital  toward  a  branch  of  the  Anglican 
communion  marked  an  interesting  step  in  the  progress  of 
unity. 

On  Thursday,  May  13th,  after  a  deliberate  delay  of  several 
days,  I  paid  my  second  visit  to  the  Archbishop  of  Omsk.  In 
front  of  his  palace  Cossack  troops  were  engaged  in  lance  drill ; 
horses  were  tethered  to  the  fence  before  the  palace;  and  but 
a  few  hundred  yards  away  could  be  seen  the  trenches  de¬ 
fending  Omsk  from  the  west.  I  am  sure  that  those  soldiers 
who  examined  us  so  closely  had  no  idea  that  we  in  uniform 
were  on  a  religious  rather  than  a  warlike  mission. 

As  I  was  accompanied  by  a  good  interpreter,  a  delightful 
hour  or  more  was  spent  with  the  Archbishop.  During  the 
conversation,  he  explained  the  working  of  the  provisional 
government  of  the  Church  in  these  days  of  necessity  and 
presented  me  with  a  copy  of  the  Acts  of  the  Second  Synod 
of  the  High  Temporal  Authority  of  the  Church.  He  asked 
many  questions  about  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa¬ 
tion,  and  entered  into  long  explanations  of  the  condition  of 

17 


the  Church  in  Siberia.  He  was  most  cordial  and,  later,  showed 
me  all  the  ornaments  and  fittings  of  his  private  chapel,  and 
conducted  me  behind  the  screen  at  the  time  of  service,  and 
also  invited  me  to  worship  behind  the  screen  in  the  cathedral. 
This  courtesy  from  perhaps  the  busiest  churchman  in  Siberia 
showed  a  growing  interest  in  the  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association  which  was  most  encouraging  in  the  face  of  much 
adverse  newspaper  comment  on  its  aims  and  objects.  The 
bad  impressions  of  the  first  visit  seemed  to  be  entirely  effaced. 

That  evening,  in  company  with  the  local  secretaries,  I  spent 
at  the  home  of  a  Russian  priest  connected  with  the  Cossack 
Church  of  St.  Nicholas.  During  the  course  of  the  evening, 
church  and  Association  questions  were  asked  and  answered. 
The  wife  of  this  priest  was  one  of  the  members  of  an  English 
class  in  the  Omsk  Association.  The  home  life  of  the  clergy 
was  most  charming  and  instructive  to  a  student  of  Russia  and 
her  Church.  No  matter  how  poor  their  material  equipment 
might  be — and  it  was  poor  enough  in  those  days  of  stress 
and  strain ! — there  was  a  simple  dignity  and  nobility  and  a 
genuineness  about  it  that  was  most  affecting.  For  example, 
this  priest  received  a  salary  of  five  hundred  roubles  per  month. 
To  keep  house  on  a  salary  of  five  hundred  roubles,  when  the 
rouble  was  worth  one-sixtieth  of  a  dollar  gold,  required  no 
little  ingenuity.  They  put  before  us  the  very  best  they  had 
and  made  no  apology.  This  priest  was  a  graduate  of  the 
ecclesiastical  seminary  of  Petrograd  and  yet  there  were  scarce 
half  a  dozen  books  in  the  house.  On  looking  back,  the  mem¬ 
ory  of  my  visit  to  this  household  is  a  happy  one,  and  I  recall 
it  as  the  most  hospitable  in  Siberia.  “A  man’s  life  consisteth 
not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth.” 

The  following  Sunday,  the  Archbishop  Sylvestre  pontifi¬ 
cated  at  the  Liturgy  in  the  Omsk  Cathedral,  and  I  was  given 
a  place  of  worship  behind  the  screen.  The  Archbishop  and 
clergy  were  most  cordial  on  this  occasion,  and  I  was  made 
to  feel  at  home. 

The  22nd  of  May  is  the  Feast  of  the  Translation  of  the 
Relics  of  St.  Nicholas,  the  Wonder  Worker,  and  the  Arch¬ 
bishop  was  present  and  pontificated  at  the  Cossack  Church. 
During  a  part  of  the  service  I  wandered  out  into  the  church¬ 
yard,  and  sat  down  in  a  shady  spot.  The  white  walls  of  the 
church,  with  the  green  trimmings,  reminded  me  very  much 
of  a  New  England  meeting  house.  This  impression  was 
strengthened  by  the  fact  that  from  where  I  sat  the  typical 
Russian  dome  could  not  be  seen — just  the  straight  outlines 

18 


of  the  church.  Men  in  their  holiday  clothes,  little  girls  in 
their  short  starched  dresses  and  squeaky  Sunday  shoes,  walked 
and  lounged  about  the  churchyard,  and  it  took  a  violent  stretch 
of  the  imagination  to  believe  oneself  in  Siberia.  Less  than 
a  year  before  the  time  of  my  visit,  the  church  had  been  de¬ 
fended  by  the  very  bodies  of  the  faithful ;  during  my  time, 
uncertainty  had  settled  upon  the  city;  and  now  who  knows 
whether  the  little  girls  walk  as  freely  in  the  churchyard  as 
they  did  a  year  ago ! 

On  Sunday,  May  25th,  a  pleasant  surprise  awaited  me  at 
the  Cathedral.  The  bishop  pontificating  was  the  Bishop  of 
Ufa,  Andre.  An  English-speaking  priest  came  to  my  aid, 
and  with  him  as  interpreter  I  had  the  opportunity  of  a  fine 
talk  with  this  most  interesting  bishop,  whose  reputation  is 
wide.  The  Bishop  of  Ufa  is  noted  for  the  number  of  church 
reforms  attempted  in  pre-revolutionary  days.  He  introduced 
parochial  assemblies  and  had  various  schemes  for  parish  bet¬ 
terment.  Some  of  them  were  carried  out.  In  many  articles 
and  books  on  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  his  name  appears 
with  frequency.  He  brought  up  many  interesting  subjects 
for  discussion  such  as  the  significance  of  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  triangle,  and  I  pointed  to  the  Chiro 
that  ornamented  the  walls  of  the  Cathedral,  telling  him  that 
this  symbol  is  the  basis  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation  emblem.  His  attitude  toward  the  Association  was  one 
of  hopefulness  and  expectancy.  An  article  of  his  printed  in  an 
Omsk  newspaper  on  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association 
was  the  basis  of  part  of  our  talk.  Our  conversation  ranged 
from  the  Filioque  clause  in  the  Creed  to  Bolshevism.  He  in¬ 
vited  me  to  call  at  the  episcopal  palace,  where  he  was  staying 
with  the  Archbishop.  His  cordiality  was  very  marked  and 
a  more  interesting  and  energetic  man  would  be  hard  to  find. 

Owing  to  my  departure  for  Tomsk,  I  was  unable  to  see  the 
Archbishop  of  Omsk  and  the  Bishop  of  Ufa  again.  This  sud¬ 
den  departure  was  due  to  the  difficulties  of  travel,  which  made 
it  necessary  to  take  whatever  transportation  was  available. 
About  this  time,  Secretary  Safford  was  on  his  way  with  sup¬ 
plies  from  Omsk  to  Irkutsk,  and  he  very  kindly  gave  me  a 
lift  to  Taiga.  Traveling  in  Siberia  by  freight  is  not  as  un¬ 
interesting  as  it  may  sound.  On  this  trip  we  were  able  to 
stop  at  all  sorts  of  villages,  and  many  a  Russian  boy  played 
his  first  game  of  baseball  and  kicked  a  football  for  the  first 
time.  Interesting  small  town  gossip  concerning  the  local 
church  and  parish  priest  was  eagerly  sought  on  my  part. 

19 


When  one  has  to  do  with  the  cathedrals  and  churches  in  the 
large  cities,  he  needs  the  corrective  of  village  church  life  in 
appraising  the  attitude  of  the  Russian  people  toward  their 
Church.  I  deeply  regret  that  I  had  so  little  time  to  give  to 
this  interesting  phase  of  the  problem.  However,  such  work 
had  better  be  undertaken  in  times  of  peace  than  in  these 
uncertain  days  of  war.  Russian  village  life  centering  about 
the  parish  church  would  furnish  a  good  field  for  practical 
experiments  in  which  a  sympathetic  Association  secretary 
could  play  no  small  part. 

NOVO-NIKOLAEVSK  AND  TAIGA 

Saturday,  May  31st,  found  me  in  Novo-Nikolaevsk  as  the 
guest  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  secretaries. 
Accompanied  by  senior  secretary  Cattron  and  a  good  inter¬ 
preter,  I  called  on  the  senior  priest  of  the  city.  He  knew  but 
little  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association.  Later  in 
the  interview,  he  conducted  us  to  the  cathedral,  and  ex¬ 
plained  the  various  parts  of  the  Building  and  displayed  the 
church  ornaments  and  vestments. 

From  Novo-Nikolaevsk,  I  went  on  to  Taiga,  where  1  spent 
June  2nd  and  3rd  with  Secretary  Woodbury,  stationed  there 
with  a  Czech  artillery  regiment.  I  visited  the  church  in  town. 
An  interesting  feature  I  noted  was  that  this  church  showed 
signs  of  a  very  recent  enlargement,  the  lumber  used  being 
as  yet  unseasoned.  When  we  so  often  hear  that  the  Church 
has  no  hold  on  the  people  in  these  days,  slight  evidences  of 
the  contrary,  such  as  this,  are  interesting. 

TOMSK 

Arriving  at  Tomsk  on  June  4,  1919,  I  expected  to  carry 
out  a  plan  which  had  been  made  tentatively  for  me  to  visit 
the  southern  part  of  the  Diocese  of  Tomsk  and  Altai  with 
Bishop  Anatoli,  on  his  visitation.  The  trip  had  to  be  aband¬ 
oned,  owing  to  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  country.  Bishop 
Anatoli,  having  two  bishops  under  him,  assigned  that  par¬ 
ticular  visitation  to  one  of  his  assistants  who  was  resident 
in  that  part  of  the  huge  diocese.  A  diocese  extending  over 
1,500  versts  north  and  south,  and  a  little  less  east  and  west, 
or,  in  other  words,  from  Mongolia  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  is  a 
tremendous  territory  to  be  administered  even  in  times  of 
peace,  but  in  times  such  as  those  of  my  visit  the  work  of 
visitation  is  practically  impossible. 

20 


Our  senior  national  secretary,  Mr.  Phelps,  being  in  Tomsk. 
I  had  an  opportunity  for  a  verbal  report  on  my  experiences 
since  I  had  last  seen  him.  After  consultation,  he  requested 
me  to  visit  as  many  places  and  as  many  secretaries  as  possible 
on  my  way  east  to  Vladivostok,  and  also  to  undertake  a  trip 
to  Harbarovsk  and  any  other  parts  of  the  country  where  the 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  was  likely  to  be  carrying 
on  work  in  the  future,  or  where  contacts  had  been  made  or 
were  likely  to  be  made  with  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church. 
The  difficulties  of  travel  and  the  uncertainty  of  supplies  in¬ 
vested  this  commission  with  more  than  ordinary  interest. 

On  June  7th  I  accompanied  Mr.  Phelps  on  a  visit  to  Bishop 
Anatoli,  who  had  wished  to  meet  the  general  secretary,  and 
was  delighted  with  this  opportunity.  He  received  us  warmly 
and  for  over  an  hour  we  talked  of  many  things.  On  this,  my 
first  visit  to  the  Bishop  since  my  return  from  Omsk,  I  brought 
greetings  from  the  church  authorities  whom  I  had  met  and 
thanked  him  for  his  prayers  on  my  behalf,  during  my  absence 
from  his  diocese.  Mr.  Phelps  spoke  of  the  trials  and  persecu¬ 
tions  which  the  Church  was  suffering  and  told  the  Bishop 
that  the  Christians  of  America  were  praying  mightily  on  their 
behalf.  The  sufferings  of  the  Church  in  the  diocese  of  Tomsk 
were  considerable.  The  Bishop  spoke  of  five  priests  who  had 
been  put  to  death  but  a  short  time  before,  and  described  the 
outrages  and  persecutions  which  the  Church  had  suffered 
in  the  Samara  and  Ufa  districts.  As  on  the  occasion  of  my 
first  visit  to  the  Bishop,  the  portrait  of  that  great  man,  Arch¬ 
bishop  Nicolai,  the  pioneer  Russian  Orthodox  Bishop  of  Japan, 
furnished  a  topic  of  mutual  interest.  Mr.  Phelps,  having 
known  Archbishop  Nicolai  some  seventeen  years  before,  spoke 
of  the  value  of  his  personality  and  work  in  Japan.  He  spoke 
also  of  the  question  of  cooperation  between  the  Association 
and  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  promising  all  the  assist¬ 
ance  of  the  Association,  compatible  with  its  aims  and  methods, 
and  the  Bishop  later  told  me  that  he  was  much  pleased  with 
this  interview. 

After  the  interview,  I  went  to  the  all-night  Vigil  of  Pente¬ 
cost,  having  been  absent  from  the  cathedral  since  the  Easter 
services.  I  was  welcomed  warmly  and  felt  perfectly  at  home 
behind  the  screen.  There  were  an  unusual  number  of  clergy 
present,  due  to  the  fact  that  140  clerical  delegates  had  assem¬ 
bled  for  the  Diocesan  Convention,  which  was  in  session  over 
a  period  of  ten  days.  The  holding  of  lighted  candles  in  this 

21 


service,  symbolic  of  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  appeared 
from  the  sanctuary  like  a  shower  of  lights. 

At  this  time,  prayer  for  the  fruitfulness  of  the  earth  is 
offered.  At  the  “Blessing  of  Bread,  Wine,  and  Oil”  the  con¬ 
gregation  is  signed  with  the  oil  and  partakes  of  the  loaves. 
In  the  early  Church,  when  this  service  lasted  the  whole  night, 
it  was  the  usual  thing  to  distribute  the  bread,  wine,  and  oil 
to  the  worshippers,  in  order  that  those  who  proposed  to  stay 
through  the  service  would  be  refreshed  and  strengthened. 
With  the  shortening  of  the  all-night  vigil,  this  has  become 
more  of  a  symbolic  act.  After  the  Bishop  had  partaken  of 
the  bread,  a  portion  of  it  was  sent  by  him  to  me,  in  my  place 
in  the  sanctuary,  by  the  senior  priest. 

Pentecost  on  June  8th  was,  next  to  the  Easter  services, 
the  greatest  service  I  attended  in  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Church.  Mr.  Phelps,  who  was  still  in  Tomsk,  was  also  present 
at  this  service.  The  New  Cathedral  was  crowded.  Bishop 
Anatoli  pontificated  at  the  Liturgy,  and  more  than  twenty 
clergy  took  part.  The  sermon  was  on  the  subject  of  diocesan 
missions  and  a  collection  was  taken  for  that  object.  The 
custom  of  carrying  bouquets  of  flowers  added  to  the  beauty 
of  the  service,  and  the  Bishop,  with  friendly  courtesy,  sent 
half  of  his  bouquet  to  me.  After  the  Liturgy,  a  procession 
of  clergy  and  people  was  formed  and  we  proceeded  to  the 
square  in  front  of  the  cathedral,  in  which  was  drawn  up  a 
regiment,  or  more,  of  Siberian  troops  about  to  depart  for  the 
front.  Three  ikons  had  been  blessed  at  the  Liturgy  and 
were  presented  to  the  troops  by  their  officers.  A  stirring 
sermon  was  preached  and  the  Bishop  bestowed  the  benedic¬ 
tion  upon  the  troops  standing  reverently  at  attention.  As 
the  Bishop,  accompanied  by  the  priests,  made  his  way  up  and 
down  the  long  lines,  the  glitter  of  his  jeweled  mitre  in  the 
morning  sun,  the  splendor  of  his  vestments,  as  well  as  those 
worn  by  the  attendant  priests,  the  gleaming  of  numerous 
church  banners,  the  singing  of  the  attendant  choir,  together 
with  the  serious  import  of  the  occasion,  made  the  occasion 
most  memorable. 

For  Vespers  and  Matins,  on  Saturday  night,  June  14th,  I 
was  accompanied  by  Secretary  Riley  and  Secretary  Bixby  to 
the  Old  Cathedral.  The  Old  Cathedral  possesses  one  of  the 
finest  choirs  in  all  Siberia.  Having  with  me  my  service  books, 
I  was  able  to  explain  many  portions  of  the  service  to  the  secre¬ 
taries,  for,  without  explanation,  a  Russian  service  is  bound 
to  be  tedious  to  the  uninitiated.  There  is  so  much  that  is 


22 


unusual  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  keep  one’s  attention  cen¬ 
tered  upon  the  worship,  yet  the  returns  are  commensurate 
with  the  effort  put  forth.  Moreover,  the  language  barrier 
always  confronts  the  foreigner.  Church  Slavonic  cannot  be 
learned  in  a  day.  The  Russian  peasant,  having  heard  the 
church  language  for  generations,  finds  no  difficulty  whatsoever 
in  following  the  fixed  portions  of  the  service. 

June  15th  proved  to  be  a  very  busy  day.  I  was  present 
behind  the  screen  at  the  Liturgy  at  the  New  Cathedral,  at 
which  time  the  Bishop  of  Tomsk  and  Altai  ordained  a  deacon. 
A  thorough  study  of  the  ordinations  must  be  made  by  all 
who  propose  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  Church.  The 
historic  significance  of  every  act  in  an  ordination  service  opens 
a  long  vista  of  the  past  of  the  Church;  as,  for  example,  the 
use  of  the  Greek  word  axios,  worthy,  which  is  said  by 
all  present,  shows  that  in  leaving  this  word  untranslated 
from  the  original  Greek,  the  Church  points  directly  to  the 
source  from  which  is  derived  her  Holy  Orders.  The  real  sig¬ 
nificance  of  the  term  axios,  as  explained  by  a  well-known 
authority,  is  that  through  the  laying  on  of  hands  the  candi¬ 
date  has  received  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  is  become 
worthy  to  perform  the  sacred  office  intrusted  to  him.  At  this 
particular  ordination,  I  could  not  help  noticing  the  significant 
way  the  word  was  pronounced  by  all,  both  in  and  out  of  the 
sanctuary. 

On  June  15th  was  held  the  regular  Sunday  night  assembly 
in  the  hall  of  the  episcopal  palace.  I  was  present  by  special 
invitation,  and  entered  the  hall  with  the  Metropolitan  of 
Kazan,  the  Archbishop  Joseph,  and  the  Bishop  Anatoli.  The 
large  hall  was  crowded  with  lay  and  clerical  delegates  to  the 
diocesan  convention,  which  was  about  to  close,  and  with  other 
friends,  who  rose  as  we  entered  the  hall,  and  sang  the  usual 
greetings.  Two  addresses  were  given  on  topics  of  the  day, 
one  by  a  professor  of  the  University  of  Tomsk  and  the  other 
by  one  of  the  junior  priests  of  the  Church  of  the  Transfigura¬ 
tion,  at  Tomsk.  These  papers  were  followed  by  songs  and 
discussions. 

The  representative  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa¬ 
tion  was  seated  between  the  two  bishops  at  the  right  of  the 
platform  and  was  introduced  to  the  assembly  by  the  bishop 
of  the  diocese.  On  being  requested  to  address  them,  I 
brought  them  informal  greetings  from  the  American  Episcopal 
Church,  a  representative  of  Anglo-Catholic  Christianity. 
This  was  my  best  method  of  approach,  in  that  they  knew  so 

23 


little  about  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association,  and  to 
them  the  uniform  I  wore  did  not  convey  any  distinct  impres¬ 
sion  of  the  vast  work  and  wide  purposes  of  our  Association. 
It  was  only  as  the  Bishop  explained,  in  part,  our  Association 
program  and  our  hopes  of  cooperation  with  the  Russian  Or¬ 
thodox  Church  that  their  interest  in  me  shifted  from  that 
in  a  clergyman  of  the  American  Episcopal  Church  to  that 
in  a  secretary  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association. 
Everywhere  I  went  in  Siberia  I  found  among  the  clergy  a 
knowledge  of  the  Anglican  communion.  When  they  found 
that  I  was  a  priest  of  that  communion,  they  immediately 
seemed  to  trust  me,  in  the  face  of  adverse  reports  concerning 
the  methods  and  purposes  of  the  Association  in  Siberia.  In 
many  parts  of  the  country,  the  Association  was  so  thoroughly 
misunderstood,  its  motives  doubted,  its  plans  criticized,  that 
it  was  extremely  difficult  at  times  to  allay  suspicion.  How¬ 
ever,  when  given  a  fair  hearing,  it  was  not  difficult  to  con¬ 
vince  this  enlightened  people  of  the  true  principles  actuating 
the  Association  in  its  earnest  desire  to  serve  the  Russian 
people  in  every  sphere  of  life  and  activity. 

After  the  friends  had  withdrawn,  the  meeting  resolved 
itself  into  an  executive  session  of  the  Diocesan  Council,  and 
in  reply  to  questions  concerning  the  objects  and  methods  of 
the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association,  I  addressed  the  dele¬ 
gates  ;  in  turn,  I  questioned  them  as  to  the  way  in  which  the 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  could  best  assist  them, 
and  they  said  that  the  greatest  need  of  the  day  was  for  a 
plentiful  supply  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  This  appeal  for 
copies  of  the  Holy  Bible  is  one  that  will  find  a  ready  echo 
in  the  hearts  of  all  Christians  in  America. 

At  the  close  of  the  conference,  I  met  the  clergy  and  dele¬ 
gates  informally,  and  was  impressed  with  the  fact  that  “folks 
are  folks”  wherever  met. 

On  June  16th,  in  company  with  Mrs.  D’llle,  the  wife  of 
the  American  Vice-Consul,  I  visited  the  home  of  the  junior 
priest  of  the  Church  of  the  Transfiguration  in  Tomsk.  He 
was  not  at  home,  but  later  came  to  the  Consul’s  residence  and, 
with  Mrs.  D’llle  as  interpreter,  we  talked  of  church  matters 
for  four  hours  or  more.  During  the  conversation,  we  dis¬ 
cussed  practical  matters  of  church  administration.  Methods 
of  work  familiar  to  the  clergy  of  America,  namely,  the  whole 
system  of  parish  administration,  the  emphasis  upon  records 
as  indices  of  progress,  societies  and  guilds  with  particular  and 
definite  objects,  boys’  clubs  other  than  Boy  Scouts,  duplex 

24 


envelope  systems,  financial  budgets,  all  appear  to  be  sealed 
books  to  the  average  parish  priest  in  Siberia.  Even  parochial 
visiting  is  not  widely  practiced.  In  discussing  such  practical 
matters  with  the  clergy  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church, 
however,  they  raise  what  appear  to  them  to  be  insuperable 
difficulties.  Almost  every  new  idea  which  confronts  them 
seems  to  be  freighted  with  difficulties  rather  than  teeming 
with  possibilities.  It  is  hard  to  keep  the  discussions  practical. 

The  next  evening,  June  17th,  at  their  request,  I  met  with 
the  committee  of  the  Church  of  the  Transfiguration  assembled 
in  the  church  itself,  and  spoke  on  a  number  of  subjects  rang¬ 
ing  from  the  moral  instruction  of  children  to  the  question  of 
self-support.  Mrs.  DTlle,  the  wife  of  the  Vice-Consul,  inter¬ 
preted  splendidly,  and,  for  hours,  we  discussed  matters  thor¬ 
oughly.  I  consider  that  this  sort  of  conference  is  one  of  the 
best  ways  in  which  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association 
can  lend  a  hand  sympathetically  in  assisting  the  priests  and 
laity  to  find  themselves  in  these  days  when  the  Church  is 
facing  so  many  new  problems  and  needs  so  much  help  in 
solving  them.  To  us  in  America  many  of  these  problems 
seem  from  our  experience  to  be  of  the  simplest,  and  it  is  hard 
to  put  ourselves  in  the  place  of  a  Russian  parish  priest;  yet 
his  problems  have  in  the  past  been  our  problems,  and  as  such 
are  patent  of  solution.  The  parochial  system  has  been  much 
discussed  but  little  developed.  The  laity  must  learn  to  think 
parochially  and  develop  a  parish  consciousness.  When  this 
is  done,  the  administration  of  church  affairs  is  bound  to  im¬ 
prove  greatly,  for  now  none  save  the  priests  of  the  parish 
seem  to  carry  the  burden.  In  a  parish  such  as  this  of  30,000 
individuals,  the  burden  is  very  great,  and  is  an  ideal  field  for 
the  Association  to  help  the  Church  to  solve  the  problem  of 
its  own  young  men  and  boys  in  its  own  organization  and  work. 

On  June  20th,  I  attended  the  services  in  one  of  the  monas¬ 
teries  of  the  city.  There  is  no  place  in  a  report  of  this  kind 
for  a  discussion  of  monasticism  as  found  in  the  Russian  Or¬ 
thodox  Church,  for  it  is  too  big  a  subject  by  far.  The  impres¬ 
sion  I  gained  was  the  expected  one,  namely,  that  monasticism 
has  lost  some  of  its  hold  on  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church, 
even  though  all  the  bishops  of  the  Church  are  taken  from  the 
monastic  order.  Monasticism  as  developed  in  the  Roman 
and  Anglican  communions  is  in  a  way  far  in  advance  of 
that  found  in  the  Russian  Orthodox  and  Eastern  Churches. 

On  Saturday,  June  21st,  I  again  visited  the  Bishop  of  Tomsk 
and  Altai  and  spent  another  delightful  three  hours  or  more. 

25 


Walking  about  in  his  garden,  our  conversation  covered  a  wide 
range.  At  this  time,  I  told  him  of  my  proposed  return  to 
Japan  and  he  expressed  sincere  regret  that  our  ways  must 
part.  The  presence  of  a  student  of  church  affairs  in  his 
diocese  had  evidently  not  been  unwelcome,  for  he  said,  “We 
shall  be  very  lonely  when  you  have  gone.”  We  discussed, 
among  other  things,  the  recent  synod  of  the  diocese.  The 
main  business  was  the  question  of  raising  money,  for  the  state 
contributions  had  fallen  off  since  the  Revolution.  A  great 
deal  of  the  revenue  comes  from  the  sale  of  candles  and  com¬ 
munion  wine.  At  the  services,  collections  are  made  but  they 
are  often  “chicken  feed,”  as  one  of  the  church  officials  said 
to  me.  I  have  seen  a  high  army  official  at  a  service  contribute 
ten  kopecks — one-tenth  of  a  cent  as  measured  in  United  States 
gold — and  gaze  about  as  if  in  search  of  a  friendly  smile  of 
approbation  from  someone  who  had  noticed  his  utterly  reck¬ 
less  expenditure  of  money !  Personal  responsibility  for  church 
support  needs  to  be  awakened  in  the  heart  of  many  an  other¬ 
wise  earnest  believer. 

The  subject  of  reunion  was  again  broached.  The  Russian 
Orthodox  Church  has  a  sincere  desire  for  reunion.  She  daily 
prays:  “For  the  peace  of  the  whole  world;  for  the  welfare 
of  God’s  Holy  Churches,  and  for  the  union  of  them  all” ;  and 
again  in  the  Liturgy:  “For  the  peace  of  the  whole  world,  the 
good  estate  of  the  Holy  Churches  of  God,  and  the  union  of 
them  all,  let  us  beseech  the  Lord.”  These  daily  prayers 
which  the  Mother  Church  of  Christendom  has  prayed  down 
through  the  ages  should  certainly  find  an  echo  in  the  hearts 
of  believers  who  worship  the  Heavenly  Father  in  sincerity 
and  truth.  In  our  attempts  to  help  along  the  problem  of 
reunion,  to  fail  in  giving  full  value  to  the  contribution  of 
this  church  is  to  fail  utterly. 

Returning  to  the  palace,  I  met  the  Metropolitan  of  Kazan, 
who  was  staying  with  the  Bishop  of  Tomsk  and  Altai.  The 
Metropolitan  of  Kazan  spoke  no  English  and  so  Bishop 
Anatoli  acted  as  interpreter.  Our  conversation  had  to  do 
with  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association.  An  interesting 
point  he  hit  upon  was  the  word  Christian  in  the  name.  We 
all  know  that  this  word  is  the  crucial  one  in  our  title.  To 
many  a  Russian  the  use  of  the  word  Christian  as  a  title  for  an 
association  of  baptized  persons  seems  an  anomaly,  for  in 
Siberia,  if  a  man  is  not  a  Christian,  he  is  a  Jew  or  Moham¬ 
medan.  I  went  on  to  explain  to  him  in  answer  to  his  questions 

26 


that  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  is  an  association 
of  laymen  who  are  banded  together  for  definite  purposes  and 
that  in  the  attempts  to  carry  out  these  purposes,  they  are 
able  to  find  common  ground.  He  seemed  greatly  interested 
in  the  fact  that  men  of  so  many  varieties  of  belief  could  be 
associated  in  such  an  organization.  We  then  spoke  of  the 
relation  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  to  the  various  bodies 
outside  her  fold,  and  his  observations  were  interesting  and 
pertinent.  Furthermore,  in  speaking  of  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association,  he  was  not  content  with  vague  notions 
concerning  it,  but  wanted  to  know  definitely  and  concretely 
how  the  Association  proposed  to  help  the  Russian  people. 
My  interpreter,  the  Bishop,  from  his  knowledge  of  the  Asso¬ 
ciation  in  America,  was  not  merely  a  mouthpiece  on  this 
occasion,  but  was  a  real  interpreter  of  the  spirit  and  aims  of 
the  Association.  To  be  sure,  he  outlined  no  programs  for 
Russia,  but  recalled  the  useful  work  which  the  Association 
does  in  America.  It  is  not  out  of  place  here  again  to  record 
the  fact  that  in  the  Bishop  Anatoli,  our  organization  has  a 
firm  and  enthusiastic  friend. 

Concluding  the  day  with  Vespers  and  Matins  at  the  New 
Cathedral,  one  thing  which  particularly  impressed  me  was 
the  presence  of  numerous  children  being  instructed  in  parts  of 
the  service  by  their  mothers.  Children  who  are  familiar  with 
God’s  House  at  an  early  age  never  lose  the  impressions  gained 
thereby. 

On  Sunday,  June  22nd,  the  usual  Sunday  morning  service, 
the  Liturgy,  was  held  at  the  chapel  of  the  Episcopal  Palace. 
A  candidate  was  ordained  deacon.  As  usual  being  behind  the 
screen,  I  could  observe  every  detail.  One  of  the  things  which 
comes  to  my  mind  in  recalling  this  service  is  that  the  music 
was  not  as  good  as  usual ;  this,  however,  must  always  be  a 
relative  term  in  speaking  of  Russian  church  music.  On  the 
three  following  days,  I  visited  many  of  the  Tomsk  churches 
for  services  and  for  study.  During  this  time,  I  attended  a 
funeral.  No  matter  how  familiar  one  may  be  with  the  service 
books  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  and  no  matter  how 
much  one  may  know  of  its  theology,  this  knowledge  does  not 
become  a  working  knowledge  until  one  familiarizes  himself 
with  the  daily  round  of  ordinary  services  and  the  services  for 
special  occasions,  such  as  weddings  and  funerals.  The  Rus¬ 
sian  Orthodox  Church  is  particularly  rich  in  special  services 
for  every  occasion,  such  as  the  following: 

27 


1.  The  Rite  of  Blessing  for  a  Journey. 

2.  The  Office  of  Thanksgiving  at  the  New  Year. 

3.  A  Rite  of  Blessing  those  who  are  about  to  travel  by 

Water. 

4.  The  Lesser  Blessing  of  Water. 

5.  The  Office  of  the  Parting  of  the  Soul  from  the  Body. 

6.  A  General  Service  of  Prayer. 

IV.  NOVO-NIKOLAEVSK 

The  28th  of  June  found  me  at  Novo-Nikolaevsk,  as  the  guest 
of  Senior  Secretary  Cattron.  I  made  the  trip  from  Tomsk 
and  return  by  boat,  the  journey,  including  my  stay  in  Novo- 
Nikolaevsk,  comprising  five  days.  On  the  way,  we  passed 
many  attractive  looking  villages  and  towns  with  itheir  gaily 
painted  churches.  River  travel  in  Siberia  during  the  summer 
season  is  delightful.  Long  trips  may  be  made  in  comfortable 
boats  and  the  stops  at  places  along  the  banks  for  wood  and 
supplies  give  opportunity  for  rambles  ashore.  There  are 
always  plenty  of  people  meeting  the  boats,  and  on  one  occa¬ 
sion  I  learned  more  in  five  minutes  about  a  parish  church 
than  I  would  ordinarily  have  discovered  in  a  week’s  stay. 
A  little  girl  came  on  board  with  milk  and  butter  for  sale,  and 
before  she  was  driven  off  by  a  watchful  deckhand  for  having 
muddy  feet  and  spoiling  the  decks,  she  gave  me  a  parish 
history  in  epitome:  “One  priest  didn’t  like  the  place,  another 
didn’t  like  the  rectory,  and  the  third,  the  present  one,  is  not 
liked  by  the  people.” 

With  Secretary  Cattron,  I  attended  his  parish  church.  This 
particular  service  was  well  attended,  and  the  majority  of  the 
congregation  was  working  men.  The  Russian  people  appar¬ 
ently  carry  no  prayer  or  service  books  with  them  to  their 
services  and  the  sight  of  two  men  in  American  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  uniform  following  the  services  from  a 
book  interested  them.  It  must  not  be  inferred  from  this  that 
the  people  are  unable  to  follow  the  services  intelligently,  for 
they  have  been  accustomed  to  them  from  babyhood.  After 
the  service,  I  met  the  priests  and  found  them  cordial.  This 
city  is  in  the  diocese  of  Tomsk  and,  with  the  Bishop’s  card 
of  introduction,  I  felt  quite  at  home. 

With  the  constant  criticism  of  our  emblem  as  Jewish,  Ma¬ 
sonic,  or  a  “devil  sign,”  because  the  triangle  points  down¬ 
wards,  I  was  struck,  on  entering  this  Novo-Nikolaevsk  church, 
with  the  fact  that  the  frames  of  the  four  great  paintings  in 

28 


the  dome  were  triangular  in  shape  and  in  the  same  position 
as  our  triangle.  If  we  should  take  the  Chiro  from  the  walls 
of  the  Omsk  Cathedral  and  superimpose  the  downward¬ 
pointing  triangle  of  this  church,  and  upon  this  place  the  repre¬ 
sentation  of  the  gospels  found  in  any  church  in  the  land,  we 
could  construct  our  emblem  from  decorations  supplied  by  the 
Church  whose  officials  frequently  characterize  our  emblem  as 
un-Christian. 

On  Sunday  morning,  June  29th,  we  again  attended  service 
at  the  same  church  which  was  crowded  to  the  doors.  After 
the  Liturgy,  we  remained  in  the  church  an  hour  or  more  wit¬ 
nessing  the  services  of  Baptism,  the  Naming  of  a  Child,  and 
Requiems.  A  description  of  the  sacrament  of  baptism  as  ad¬ 
ministered  in  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  would  take  far 
more  space  in  this  report  than  we  have  a  right  to  give,  al¬ 
though  the  subject  would  seem  to  warrant  it. 

One  may  wander  about  a  Russian  church  without  attracting 
any  particular  attention,  for  each  one  seems  to  be  intent  upon 
his  own  devotions.  Secretary  Cattron  and  I  joined  one  group 
and  then  another  engaged  in  these  special  services  and  our 
presence  as  interested  observers  caused  no  comment.  When 
everything  was  over,  we  met  the  clergy  of  the  church  and 
talked  of  some  of  the  things  we  had  seen.  The  friendly  atti¬ 
tude  of  these  clergymen  added  one  more  instance  to  the 
almost  universal  kindness  I  received  in  Siberia. 

TOMSK 

Returning  to  Tomsk  on  July  1st,  I  began  actual  prepara¬ 
tions  for  my  journey  eastward. 

On  July  5th,  I  paid  my  last  visit  to  the  Bishop  Anatoli. 
He  gave  me  a  letter  of  greeting  to  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Bishop  of  Tokyo,  in  which  he  stated  that  I  was  in  a  position 
to  give  a  detailed  report  of  political  and  religious  conditions 
in  this  section  of  Siberia.  Many  evidences  of  cordiality  have 
I  received  from  the  Bishop — copies  of  his  own  writings,  photo¬ 
graphs,  and  books,  but  more  than  these  do  I  value  the  gift 
of  his  friendship. 

The  next  day,  Sunday,  I  attended  my  last  service  in  the 
diocese.  The  place  was  the  chapel  of  the  episcopal  palace; 
the  celebrant  was  the  Bishop ;  for  the  last  time,  he  greeted  me 
in  the  sanctuary;  for  the  last  time,  he  gave  me  the  altar 
bread ;  for  the  last  time,  he  gave  me  his  blessing.  Had  it  not 
been  for  his  unfailing  kindness,  his  continuous  cooperation, 

29 


and  his  fatherly  interest  in  my  mission,  it  would  have  been 
an  utter  failure.  And  now  what  his  fate  may  be  I  have  no 
way  of  knowing ! 

KRASNOIARSK 

The  time  from  the  8th  to  the  12th  of  July  was  spent  in 
Krasnoiarsk,  in  the  diocese  of  Tomsk.  This  city  before  the 
war  had  about  20,000  inhabitants,  but  like  all  Siberian  towns 
was  overcrowded  with  refugees.  The  churches  are  very  satis¬ 
factory  and  the  modern  Cathedral  of  the  Nativity  is  one  of  the 
best  in  Siberia. 

The  unsettled  political  conditions  there,  and  the  change  of 
the  Association  secretaries  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  and  the 
absence  of  the  senior  priest  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church 
made  it  difficult  to  accomplish  much.  An  appointment  was 
made  for  me  with  the  senior  priest  for  Sunday,  the  13th,  but 
owing  to  the  difficulties  and  uncertainties  of  transportation  I 
was  unable  to  stay  longer  than  the  12th,  and  so  Secretary 
Heinz,  who  was  acting  as  senior  secretary,  volunteered  to  keep 
the  appointment  for  me.  During  my  stay,  however,  I  was 
able  to  be  present  at  services  in  the  cathedral  and  in  two 
other  churches.  In  this  cathedral,  as  well  as  that  in  Irkutsk, 
I  noticed  pulpits  such  as  we  see  in  English  cathedrals.  The 
Russian  Orthodox  Church,  I  think,  has  been  rather  slow  in 
giving  full  value  to  the  sermon.  One  of  the  complaints  I 
have  heard  since  the  Revolution  is  that  the  pulpit  is  frequently 
used  to  air  the  grievances  of  the  clergy.  Not  being  skilled 
in  the  Russian  language,  I  set  no  great  store  upon  my  own 
judgment  on  this  point,  but,  nevertheless,  I  did  hear  some 
very  stirring  sermons  on  the  duty  of  the  hour  and  some  ex¬ 
cellent  expositions  of  the  Gospel  for  the  day. 

A  pleasant  call  from  the  Roman  Catholic  chaplain  with 
the  Italian  troops  stationed  in  town  was  one  of  the  events 
of  the  11th  of  July.  Secretary  Heinz  did  noteworthy  work 
with  these  troops. 

On  the  12th  of  July,  with  the  retiring  secretary,  Mr.  Alpin, 
we  secured  transportation  for  Irkutsk  in  a  special  train  in 
charge  of  Captain  Haines  of  the  American  railway  service, 
who  was  installing  a  new  telephone  system  for  the  railway. 
He  showed  us  every  courtesy,  and  for  the  five  days  we  traveled 
with  him  we  were  as  comfortable  as  any  time  in  Siberia. 

Right  here,  I  must  say  a  word  in  praise  of  the  American 
railway  engineers.  The  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association 

30 


had  no  firmer  friends,  and  I  know  of  no  instance  in  which 
the  engineers  did  not  respond  to  every  request  within  their 
power.  Delivering  messages  up  and  down  the  line,  and  hauling 
“Y”  secretaries  ofif  at  every  station  to  give  them  an  Afnerican 
square  meal,  are  but  two  instances  in  a  dozen  that  I  might 
mention.  Seated  one  day  at  a  railway  engineers’  mess,  our 
train  pulling  out  unexpectedly  dragged  us  from  a  table  on 
which  had  just  been  served  the  only  chicken  I  had  seen  in 
Siberia.  As  we  ran  after  the  departing  train  and  barely  pulled 
ourselves  aboard,  our  hosts,  racing  beside  the  train,  handed 
us,  wrapped  in  a  newspaper,  the  chicken  whose  loss  we  were 
prepared  to  mourn. 

IRKUTSK 

Irkutsk  is  a  city  with  a  magnificent  cathedral  and  many  old 
and  fine  churches.  Not  far  from  the  city  is  the  famous 
monastery  of  St.  Innocent  founded  in  1672,  and  in  the  city 
itself  are  to  be  found,  in  the  Old  Cathedral,  the  “uncorrupted 
remainders”  of  Sophrony,  the  third  bishop  of  Irkutsk — as  a 
translation  of  a  small  handbook  made  for  me  puts  the  matter. 

Like  all  the  cities  I  visited,  the  conditions  in  Irkutsk  were 
abnormal,  due  to  the  Revolution  and  subsequent  disturbances. 
Prices  were  very  high  and  there  was  more  or  less  unrest  on 
all  sides.  I  have  no  estimate  of  the  population,  but  the  city 
was  greatly  overcrowded. 

Since  Irkutsk  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Young  Men’s  Chris¬ 
tian  Association  for  Western  Siberia,  the  activities  of  the 
secretaries,  local  and  general,  have  no  doubt  appeared  in  vari¬ 
ous  reports,  and,  save  as  they  concern  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Church,  they  will  not  be  noted  here.  In  Secretary  Glenn 
Adams  of  Irkutsk,  I  found  a  man  whose  interest  in  the  Rus¬ 
sian  Orthodox  Church  was  gratifying.  His  determination 
to  know  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  and  to  grasp  the 
spirit  of  the  worship  was  cheering  to  one  engaged  in  such 
a  mission  as  mine.  We  studied  church  services  together,  and 
visited  many  churches  at  service  time  to  apply  our  knowledge. 

On  Sunday,  July  20th,  I  was  present  at  services  in  both 
the  New  and  the  Old  Cathedrals.  An  interview  was  ar¬ 
ranged  for  me  soon  afterwards  with  the  Bishop  of  Irkutsk, 
the  Right  Reverend  Bishop  Zosima.  The  service  of  a  good 
interpreter  added  much  to  the  value  of  the  interview.  He  is 
one  of  the  youngest  of  the  bishops,  and  seemed  to  be  in  touch 
with  the  happenings  of  the  day — political,  social,  and  religious. 
He  appeared  to  be  interested  in  my  mission,  and  I  gave  him 

31 


some  account  of  my  experiences  in  Western  Siberia.  He 
was  not  particularly  well  acquainted  with  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association,  but  was  interested  in  its  aims  and 
methods,  and  promised  his  hearty  support  and  cooperation  to 
the  Association  in  the  work  for  the  city  planned  by  our 
secretaries.  The  subject  of  the  reunion  of  the  churches  was 
broached,  as  usual,  and  his  views  were  in  accord  with  those 
of  his  brother  bishops  whom  I  had  met.  On  leaving,  he  gave 
me  a  cordial  invitation  to  visit  the  Monastery  of  St.  Innocent 
for  the  Liturgy  on  the  following  Sunday.  From  the  city  of 
Irkutsk,  the  sight  of  this  distant  white  monastery  is  one  of 
the  most  attractive  I  know. 

The  next  Sunday  I  went  to  the  monastery  as  the  guest 
of  Bishop  Zosima.  A  part  of  the  time  I  spent  in  the  nave,  a 
part  in  the  choir,  and  the  remainder  behind  the  screen.  The 
church  was  well  filled.  After  the  Liturgy,  there  was  a  special 
service  at  the  ornate  shrine  of  St.  Innocent,  located  in  the 
body  of  the  church.  With  such  shrines  as  those  of  St.  Sophrony 
and  St.  Innocent,  Irkutsk  would  be  an  interesting  place  for  a 
study  of  Russian  Orthodox  Church  shrines  and  pilgrimages 
to  them. 

After  the  service,  I  had  lunch  with  the  Bishop  in  the  mon¬ 
astery.  A  Russian  Red  Cross  sister,  who  had  seen  service 
on  the  Western  Front,  was  present  and  sat  in  the  place  of 
an  interpreter.  She  knew  but  a  few  words  of  English ;  the 
Bishop  knew  none ;  I  knew  English  and  some  Russian ;  so 
we  talked  in  French;  her  French  was  excellent;  mine  occa¬ 
sionally  missed  fire;  and  the  Bishop  assumed  a  judicial  atti¬ 
tude  and  turned  his  replies  into  Russian.  Nevertheless,  we 
did  not  hesitate  to  discuss  fearlessly  all  sorts  of  questions 
before  our  Tower  of  Babel  crashed  to  the  ground.  Under 
these  circumstances,  I  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  put  on  record 
any  of  the  conclusions  we  reached  on  this  occasion. 

On  August  2nd,  Secretary  Adams  and  I  visited  four  of 
the  city  churches,  including  the  Old  and  New  Cathedrals, 
and  remained  for  Vespers  at  the  latter.  The  next  day,  being 
Sunday,  I  visited  more  churches,  and  on  Monday  visited  one 
of  the  city  monasteries.  I  was  very  sorry  not  to  have  visited 
the  Old  Believers’  Church  in  the  vicinity  of  Irkutsk,  as  I  had 
planned,  but  there  was  no  time. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  city  staff  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association  held  on  August  5th  I  gave  a  talk  on  the  Russian 
Church,  and  suggested  possible  ways  of  cooperation.  The 

32 


prospects  in  Irkutsk  for  such  cooperation  seemed  particularly 
bright  about  this  time,  but  changes  in  the  personnel  of  the 
Association  staff  and  political  upheavals  in  the  city  probably 
nullified  the  plans. 


VLADIVOSTOK 

Vladivostok  needs  no  description  here.  It  is  not  a  place 
to  study  Russian  Orthodox  Church  conditions,  because  of  the 
comparative  newness  of  the  city,  and  the  presence  of  so  many 
different  nationalities.  Moreover,  being  a  port  of  entry,  its 
character  differs  from  that  of  the  inland  cities.  In  proportion 
to  the  population,  one  would  expect  to  count  the  churches 
by  the  tens,  whereas  there  are  but  two  or  three  large  ones ; 
however,  in  the  old  days,  numerous  chapels  could  be  found 
in  the  military  barracks  which  girdled  the  city. 

While  I  was  in  the  West,  Michael,  the  Bishop  of  Samara, 
had  been  made  acquainted  with  some  of  the  programs  and 
plans  of  the  Association,  and  had  cooperated  by  counsel  and 
advice.  When  I  returned,  I  found  that  personal  contact  had 
been  pleasantly  established  between  him  and  our  organiza¬ 
tion.  Samara  being  in  the  hands  of  the  Bolsheviki,  the  Bishop 
had  been  forced  to  leave,  and  was  now  in  charge  of  the 
churches  in  the  region  of  Vladivostok,  residing  at  the  mon¬ 
astery  in  Sadanga.  Therefore,  on  the  21st  of  August,  accom¬ 
panied  by  Executive  Secretary  Hollinger  and  his  wife,  to¬ 
gether  with  an  extra  good  interpreter,  I  motored  to  Sadanga 
for  an  interview  with  the  Bishop.  Over  an  hour’s  conversa¬ 
tion  revealed  a  frank,  friendly  man,  with  whom  it  was  a 
pleasure  to  talk  of  Church  and  Association  matters.  As  usual 
the  question  of  church  reunion  received  attention.  Had  we 
had  more  time,  we  could  have  prolonged  the  interview,  for 
the  Bishop  brought  up  many  questions  which  had  to  remain 
unanswered.  I  had  proposed  to  visit  him  again  at  a  later 
date,  but  was  hindered. 

NIKOLSK-USSURISK 

I  started  north  by  train,  August  23,  1919,  reaching  Nikolsk- 
Ussurisk,  a  distance  of  103  versts,  that  evening.  I  was  met 
by  Secretary  Ritter  and  went  with  him  to  the  Chinese  bar¬ 
racks  where  he  had  opened  a  club.  Although  his  work  was 
entirely  among  the  Chinese  troops,  he  had  been  constant  in 
his  attendance  at  the  services  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church, 
and  had  made  friends  with  several  of  the  priests. 

33 


The  next  day  we  visited  the  Cathedral  with  a  good  inter¬ 
preter,  and  after  the  Liturgy  were  cordially  received  by  three 
of  the  clergy.  One  of  the  priests,  a  teacher  in  the  local  schools, 
showed  a  really  keen  interest  and  some  knowledge  of  the 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association,  and  asked  intelligent 
questions.  There  was  no  time  to  call  extensively  on  the 
clergy,  as  Secretary  Ritter  was  leaving  for  Vladivostok 
that  day. 

HABAROVSK 

Habarovsk  is  a  really  beautiful  city,  situated  on  the  Amur 
River,  and  contains  many  fine  buildings  and  extensive  military 
barracks,  but  the  churches  are  comparatively  few  in  number. 
American  troops  had  previously  been  stationed  there,  but  at 
the  time  of  my  visit  only  a  handful  of  signal  corps  men  were 
on  duty.  Conditions  in  the  city  were  very  uncertain  and 
Americans  were  looked  upon  with  suspicion.  The  motives 
governing  the  city  work  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation  were  called  in  question  and  propaganda  against  us 
was  active.  The  Association  was  trying  to  “carry  on,”  as 
though  the  times  were  normal.  But  obstacle  after  obstacle 
had  to  be  met  and  overcome,  and  in  the  end,  the  Association 
had  to  give  way. 

My  first  service  in  Habarovsk  was  the  Liturgy  at  the 
Cathedral  on  the  28th  of  August  (New  Style),  it  being  “The 
Falling-Asleep  (the  Assumption),  of  the  Most  Holy  Birth- 
Giver  of  God.” 

We  were  very  fortunate  in  having  on  the  local  Young 
Men’s  Christian  Association  committee,  an  Orthodox  priest. 
Father  Yevsevyer,  who  was  held  in  great  respect  in  the  city 
and  was  anything  but  a  figurehead  in  the  work  of  the  com¬ 
mittee.  Naturally,  he  was  the  first  priest  I  visited.  He 
invited  me  to  his  house  on  August  29th  for  lunch  and  an 
interview,  and  this  visit  I  prize  as  one  of  my  pleasantest 
recollections.  He  was  a  particularly  intelligent  man  and  had 
given  many  evidences  of  his  sincere  faith.  The  following 
“fourteen  points”  were  discussed : 

The  Orthodox  Church  in  relation  to  Protestantism; 

The  “Filioque”  clause  in  the  Nicene  Creed; 

The  Liturgy  and  the  doctrine  of  the  Real  Presence ; 

Church  vestments; 

The  Old  Believers  and  their  theology ; 

The  Old  Believers  in  relation  to  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Church ; 


34 


Reunion  of  the  churches ; 

Plans  for  parish  administration ; 

Clerical  marriage ; 

Irreligion  and  its  cure; 

Books  on  Russia  and  the  Church  ; 

The  religious  program  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation  ; 

Religious  tests  of  membership  in  the  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association ; 

The  finances  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association. 

He  emphasized  the  truth  so  clearly  grasped  by  Orthodox 
theologians  that  unity  of  doctrine  is  the  first  step  toward 
reunion.  His  interest  in  the  Old  Believers  and  their  relation 
to  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  was  a  practical  one. 

The  reason  this  interview  stands  out  in  my  mind  so  clearly 
is  largely  due  to  the  work  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation  interpreter,  Mr.  Valisuk,  who,  being  an  Orthodox  be¬ 
liever,  and  a  prominent  school  man,  was  thoroughly  interested 
in  all  the  topics  brought  up  and  was  able  to  interpret  thoughts 
as  well  as  words. 

The  same  afternoon,  I  had  a  talk  with  the  Russian  Orthodox 
priest  who  was  chaplain  of  the  Red  Cross  Hospital  where  our 
secretary,  Mr.  Towne,  was  a  patient.  Secretary  Towne  and 
he  had  become  fast  friends  and  had  talked  over  many  church 
problems.  It  was  interesting  for  me  to  get  this  priest’s  angle 
on  some  of  the  local  questions. 

A  couple  of  days  later,  I  had  a  formal  interview  with  the 
Senior  Priest  in  Habarovsk.  He  had  but  recently  come  from 
Blagovestchensk,  where  for  thirty  years  he  had  been  dean  of 
the  Theological  Seminary.  He  spoke  very  shrewdly  of  a  num¬ 
ber  of  church  officials  I  mentioned,  and  seemed  to  be  well 
acquainted  with  conditions  in  the  Siberian  Church. 

When  he  began  to  talk  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  he 
spoke  in  terms  of  the  deepest  humility,  and  begged  us  not  to 
look  down  upon  the  Church  or  despise  her  as  a  leprous  body, 
but  always  to  keep  in  mind  that  she  still  holds  to  the  creeds 
and  that  her  witness  to  the  faith  is  still  unshaken. 

Questioned  on  the  subject  of  church  support,  he  said  that 
the  Omsk  Government  contributed  100  roubles  a  month  to 
the  cathedral,  and  he  received  from  the  Government  190 
roubles.  At  the  time  of  this  interview,  these  sums  represented 
respectively  sixty  cents  and  $1.14  in  United  States  gold.  He 
said  the  people  knew  nothing  of  self-support  and  when  the 
subject  was  mentioned  in  sermons,  they  were  more  or  less 

35 


restive.  At  a  recent  festival,  the  collections  amounted  to 
about  300  roubles. 

He  spoke  very  interestingly  on  reunion,  and  as  an  ex¬ 
professor  of  ecclesiastical  history,  he  was  well  equipped  to 
deal  with  the  problem  historically.  He  informed  me  of  the  com- 
ing  Diocesan  Convention  to  be  held  at  Blagovestchensk,  and 
hoped  that  I  would  try  to  attend  it  and  address  them.  It 
was  to  extend  over  a  period  of  eight  days  and  many  interest¬ 
ing  problems  were  to  come  up  for  discussion  and  the  laity 
were  to  participate  largely,  a  comparatively  new  venture  in 
the  government  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church. 

In  discussing  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association,  he 
remarked  that  both  he  and  the  Association  were  just  begin- 
ning  their  work  in  Habarovsk,  and  so  they  might  grow  up 
side  by  side,  and  if  he  could  render  any  assistance  to  the 
Association  by  lecturing  on  religious  topics  or  conducting 
services,  he  would  be  very  glad  to  do  so.  I  have  every  reason 
to  suppose  that  the  senior  priest  of  Habarovsk  will  prove 
a  true  friend  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association. 

There  was  a  priest  of  the  Old  Believers’  Church  attending 
one  of  our  English  classes  in  Habarovsk,  who  suggested  my 
visiting  their  bishop,  who  was  in  the  city  at  that  time.  As 
I  came  in  contact  with  the  Old  Believers’  Church  and  other 
sects  in  connection  with  our  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa¬ 
tion  work,  and  thus  confronted  the  question  practically  rather 
than  academically,  I  think  it  necessary  to  insert  in  this  report 
some  slight  explanation  of  their  history  and  practices. 

THE  OLD  BELIEVERS’  CHURCH 

To  recount  properly  the  history  of  the  rise  of  the  Old 
Believers  from  the  time  of  the  attempted  reforms  of  the 
Patriarch  Nikon,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  to  the  present 
day,  would  be  a  task  of  which  I  am  not  capable;  but  in  call¬ 
ing  attention  to  certain  features  of  their  history  and  customs, 
I  shall  perhaps  be  serving  a  practical  end. 

From  the  very  earliest  days,  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church 
has  been  intolerant  of  dissent.  With  the  authority  of  the 
State  behind  her,  she  attempted  to  stamp  out,  rather  than  to 
convert,  those  who  differed  from  her.  When  religious  tolera¬ 
tion  became  a  fact,  the  old  methods  could  not  be  used  and  a 
more  conciliatory  program  had  to  be  outlined.  In  dealing 
with  those  who  differed  from  her,  the  very  extent  of  the 
country,  the  climate,  the  lack  of  proper  transportation  facil- 

36 


ities,  and  the  ignorance  of  the  people,  tended  to  make  the 
task  extremely  difficult.  Again,  since  many  who  differed 
from  her  did  not  actually  separate,  but  attended  her  services, 
in  addition  to  their  own,  many  extravagances  were  attributed 
to  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  for  which  she  was  not  to 
be  held  accountable. 

The  rise  of  the  Old  Believers  has  been  attributed  to  an 
attempt  to  preserve  the  letter  at  the  expense  of  the  spirit  of 
the  ancient  church  service  books.  One  writer  says  of  the  Old 
Believers  that  they  took  their  rise  “from  the  adherence  to 
the  letter  of  the  church  service  books  and  from  faith  in  the 
.saving  power  of  the  rite  itself  without  any  understanding  of 
its  sense  and  meaning.  The  schism,  is,  in  its  essence,  faith  in 
ritual,  jealously  guarding  from  changes  and  corrections  all 
that  is  ancient  in  the  church  books  and  rites.” 

The  following  points  illustrate  the  differences  which  have 
arisen  between  the  Old  Believers  and  the  Orthodox  Church : 

In  making  the  sign  of  the  cross,  the  Old  Believers  insist 
that  it  must  be  made  with  two  fingers  and  not  with  three  as 
the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  teaches.  The  eighth  article  of 
the  Creed,  the  Old  Believers  insist  should  be  said  with  the 
word  “true”  inserted  between  “the”  and  “Lord”  in  “the  Holy 
Ghost,  the  Lord  and  Giver  of  Life.”  They  further  insist 
that  in  some  places  the  “Alleluia”  must  be  said  twice  instead  of 
once.  Church  processions  must  travel  with  the  sun.  Seven 
altar  breads  they  insist  are  necessary  for  a  genuine  celebration 
of  the  Liturgy,  whereas  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  is  con¬ 
tent  with  five.  Even  in  the  pronunciation  of  the  Sacred  Name, 
they  insist  on  a  particular  way.  The  eight-pointed  cross  must 
mark  all  churches.  Naturally,  the  only  legitimate  service 
books  are  those  in  use  before  the  time  of  the  Patriarch  Nikon. 

In  weighing  these  points  of  difference,  it  seems  to  me  that 
the  real  question  is  one  of  authority.  Who  had  the  right  to 
introduce  changes?  We  usually  look  for  radicalism  in  reform; 
in  fact  to  us,  the  terms  are  almost  synonymous.  Therefore, 
judging  by  our  standard,  can  we  look  upon  the  Old  Believers’ 
movement  as  a  reform  movement?  Manning,  in  an  article 
in  the  American  Church  Monthly  on  “The  Russian  Sects,” 
comments:  “It  is  to  be  noted  that  whereas  in  the  Western 
Church  the  schisms  took  place  because  the  authorities  were 
not  sufficiently  radical  to  please  the  reformers,  in  the  East  the 
reverse  happened  and  the  sects  claim  to  represent  the  true 
old  tradition.” 


37 


At  this  point,  it  would  be  interesting  to  digress  long  enough 
to  give  some  account  of  the  apparently  endless  variety  and 
the  extravagances  which  characterize  various  sects  in  Russia, 
but  we  in  America  are  not  unfamiliar  with  the  lengths  to 
which  religious  variations  can  be  carried,  possessing  as  we  do 
some  two-  hundred  and  two  sects  and  churches.  If  it  be  true, 
as  has  been  said,  that  there  are  only  a  limited  number  of 
heresies  possible  and  that  all  types  occur  at  various  times  and 
in  various  places,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  go  to  Russia  to 
study  the  lengths  to  which  religious  extravagances  can  be 
carried.  Perhaps  the  “Sanctified  Congregation  of  Adam  and 
Eve”  could  supply  some  “missing  link”  in  the  chain  of  thought 
of  a  Russian  sect,  and  should  they  fail,  we  still  have  the  “Holy 
Rollers,”  and  the  “Holy  Ghost  and  Us”— -to  mention  but  two 
sects  that  could  be  called  upon  in  an  emergency. 

From  my  personal  experience  with  the  Old  Believers  who 
possessed  the  episcopate,  I  cannot  look  upon  them  as  mere 
sticklers  for  ritual,  but  regard  them  as  earnest  men  who  wit¬ 
ness  with  their  lives  to  the  truth  as  they  see  it.  A  prominent 
Russian  once  said  to  me:  “Be  sure  to  get  acquainted  with  the 
Old  Believers,  because  their  lives  are  oftentimes  models  for 
the  Orthodox.” 

On  September  1,  1919,  Mr.  Valisuk  arranged  for  me  an  inter¬ 
view  with  the  Old  Believers’  Bishop. 

On  our  arrival,  we  were  shown  to  the  bedroom-study  of  the 
Bishop.  At  the  sight  of  the  Bishop,  in  his  cassock  and  cap, 
seated  before  an  enormous  black-letter  Slavonic  service  book, 
in  a  room  piled  high  with  old  books,  old  ikons,  old  pictures, 
old  furniture,  Time  rolled  back  several  centuries;  however, 
the  sight  of  an  American-built  typewriter  on  a  nearby  chair 
brought  us  up  to  date. 

The  Bishop  met  me  with  a  very  cordial  and  reassuring 
smile  and  after  the  usual  greetings  we  began  our  talk,  the 
priest  in  whose  house  the  Bishop  was  staying  being  present 
and  entering  heartily  into  our  conversation.  At  the  very  out¬ 
set,  the  Bishop  maintained  that  the  Old  Believers  had  been 
the  keepers  of  the  true  faith  and,  in  spite  of  direct  persecutions, 
had  never  wavered  from  the  truth.  These  persecutions  were 
at  the  hands  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  and  not  at  the 
hands  of  unbelievers.  The  priest  then  produced  a  sort  of 
“Fox’s  Book  of  Martyrs,”  picturing  on  every  page  the  perse¬ 
cutions  endured  at  the  hands  of  the  Orthodox.  The  book  was 
at  least  150  years  old  and  the  pictures  were  dim  and  inartistic. 

38 


I  do  not  know  the  name  of  this  book,  but  it  stands  out  in  my 
mind  as  a  sort  of  chamber  of  horrors.  The  earnestness  of  the 
speakers,  their  blazing  eyes  as  they  turned  over  and  over  the 
pages,  and  their  suppressed  tones  as  they  described  each  de¬ 
tail  of  the  various  persecutions  had  a  depressing  influence  on 
us.  However,  it  was  a  fitting  introduction  to  the  history  of 
the  Old  Believers  which  the  Bishop  and  the  priest  at  once 
began  to  give. 

Again  and  again,  stress  was  laid  on  the  fact  that  they  had 
the  true  faith,  that  they  had  the  true  books,  that  they  had  the 
true  ceremonial,  and  that  they  had  resisted  all  the  attempts 
to  change  or  to  overcome  them.  When  the  controversy  with 
the  Orthodox  on  the  making  of  the  sign  of  the  cross  was 
brought  up,  the  Bishop,  reading  from  the  texts,  illustrated 
their  method,  citing  chapter  and  verse,  the  contention  being 
that  there  was  a  right  way  prescribed  by  authority  and  there 
was  no  alternative.  Questioned  about  the  mode  of  baptism, 
I  cited  our  Western  practice,  and  he,  in  turn,  gave  the  Old 
Believers’  position.  It  was  interesting  to  see  their  attitude 
toward  the  Orthodox  Church.  I  had  often  discussed  the  Old 
Believers  with  the  Orthodox,  but  had  never  viewed  the 
Orthodox  from  the  Old  Believers’  point  of  view.  There  seems 
to  be  “much  to  be  said  on  both  sides  of  the  question,”  as  Sir 
Roger  de  Coverley  remarked.  The  Old  Believers  said  that 
they  did  not  attend  the  Orthodox  services,  and  yet  they 
admitted  going  from  time  to  time  out  of  curiosity.  They 
further  said :  “The  Orthodox  have  churches  for  the  rich  and 
churches  for  the  poor  and  different  services  for  the  rich  and 
for  the  poor,  but  the  Old  Believers  have  the  same  services  for 
rich  and  poor  alike.” 

We  next  considered  the  subject  of  discipline  in  the  Church. 
The  lives  of  the  Old  Believers  appear  so  consistent  that  this 
topic  interested  me  very  much.  Their  method  of  preserving 
discipline  is  to  hold  a  yearly  examination  before  the  whole 
congregation,  with  every  member  having  the  right  to  accuse, 
and  if  any  is  a  doer  of  wrong,  he  must  be  put  out. 

They  do  not  consider  education  as  a  substitute  for  piety  in 
the  priesthood.  Their  emphasis  on  this  point  is  evidently  in 
the  nature  of  an  historic  protest. 

We  touched  upon  the  question  of  reunion  with  the  Russian 
Orthodox  Church,  but  nothing  constructive  was  suggested. 
Serious  efforts  have  been  and  are  being  made  by  the  Orthodox 
to  win  back  the  Old  Believers,  and  I  have  met  many  priests 


39 


who  are  working  and  praying  toward  that  end.  Real  steps 
have  been  taken  and  now  that  the  Orthodox  Church  is  no 
longer  under  state  control,  much  may  be  hoped  for.  Religious 
projudice  dies  hard  and  no  one  can  accuse  Russia  of  not  pos¬ 
sessing  her  full  share. 

A  rather  long  discussion  arose  over  the  question  of  the 
ministry  among  the  various  bodies  of  Old  Believers  who  do 
not  possess  the  episcopate,  but  I  learned  that  there  are  many 
who  are  coming  over  to  the  Episcopal  Old  Believers'  position. 

Next,  we  began  to  speak  of  the  extent  of  the  work  and  the 
number  of  Old  Believers.  The  Bishop’s  diocese  reaches  from 
Yakutsk  and  Saghalien  to  Lake  Baikal  and  beyond — in  other 
words,  a  half  or  more  of  Siberia.  He  has  some  fourteen  priests 
and  not  over  five  hundred  communicants.  Before  the  war  he 
traveled  extensively  over  his  vast  diocese  in  the  summer  time, 
but  now  travel  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible. 

In  Habarovsk,  a  new  church  was  about  to  be  opened,  and 
I  received  a  most  cordial  invitation  to  be  present  at  the  dedi¬ 
cation,  but  was  not  able  to  attend.  On  hearing  that  I  intended 
to  go  to  Blagovestchensk,  they  told  me  they  had  a  church  there 
and  begged  me  to  call  on  their  priest. 

The  Bishop  was  not  very  familiar  with  the  Anglican  Church 
and  at  first  did  not  recognize  my  position  as  a  priest,  but  when 
I  told  him  of  my  experiences  with  the  Orthodox  Church,  and 
the  treatment  that  had  been  accorded  me,  he  hastened  to  offer 
me  the  same  privileges. 

When  we  spoke  of  church  ornaments  and  vestments,  he 
produced  a  beautiful  miter  and  some  very  fine  vestments.  I 
could  see  no  difference  between  these  and  those  used  by  the 
Orthodox. 

We  had  no  difficulty  in  turning  the  conversation  into  Asso¬ 
ciation  channels.  The  priest,  as  I  have  said,  was  a  member  of 
one  of  our  English  classes,  and  so  was  frequently  in  the  Asso¬ 
ciation  building.  He  was  perfectly  willing  to  cooperate  in  any 
way  possible  and  assured  me  that  the  Old  Believers  were  in¬ 
terested  in  the  aims  and  objects  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association.  As  a  practical  suggestion,  both  he  and  the 
Bishop  wanted  the  Association  to  engage  a  famous  orator  of 
their  number  for  religious  addresses.  On  being  questioned 
whether  the  object  of  getting  this  orator  was  to  make  it  lively 
for  the  Orthodox,  they  smilingly  assured  me  that  they  pro¬ 
posed  that  his  efforts  be  directed  against  atheism. 

The  interview  was  closed  with  a  promise  of  another  visit, 

40 


and  the  next  day,  the  priest  invited  me  to  a  special  prayer 
service  which  I  was  unable  to  attend.  In  establishing  this 
contact  with  the  Old  Believers’  bishop,  interesting  possibilities 
are  opened.  When  the  Association  enters  upon  the  real  work 
of  establishing  itself  on  firm  ground  in  Russia  and  Siberia, 
there  will  be  great  difficulties  to  be  met  and  overcome,  yet  in 
contributing  to  the  fuller  life  of  the  Old  Believers  the  Young 
Men’s  Christian  Association  may  profit  by  the  lesson  of  their 
steadfastness  and  earnestness  in  preserving  their  very  exist¬ 
ence  amid  almost  inconceivable  difficulties. 

BLAGOVESTCHENSK 

Blagovestchensk,  from  its  position  on  the  Amur  River,  and 
as  a  center  for  a  vast  agricultural  region,  presents  many  possi¬ 
bilities  of  growth  and  prosperity.  The  churches  were  good, 
but  the  uncompleted  cathedral  was  not  particularly  attractive. 
The  Old  Cathedral  near  the  river  bank  is  an  ancient  landmark. 
Next  to  Tomsk,  this  is  the  best  city  in  Siberia  in  my  opinion. 

Delays  prevented  my  arrival  in  time  for  the  Diocesan  Con¬ 
vention,  which  was  a  great  disappointment  to  me.  The  day 
after  I  arrived,  being  the  “Feast  of  the  Beheading  of  St.  John 
the  Baptist,”  September  11th  (August  29th,  Old  Style),  I 
attended  the  Liturgy  in  the  cathedral,  and  the  bishop  of  the 
diocese,  the  Right  Reverend  Eugene,  was  present  and  pontifi¬ 
cated.  The  church  was  crowded  to  the  doors. 

Later  in  the  morning  I  visited  the  convent  with  Mr. 
Kochurga,  and  we  paid  our  respects  to  the  Mother  Superior, 
and  were  shown  about  the  convent  church  and  grounds.  The 
buildings  of  red  brick  were  substantial.  The  convent,  although 
fairly  new,  was  in  former  times  quite  prosperous,  but  since  the 
Revolution  the  support  had  fallen  off  so  materially  that  it  was 
difficult  to  carry  on  the  work.  The  sisters,  however,  were  far 
from  being  discouraged.  The  Mother  Superior  spoke  of  plans 
for  the  future  with  confidence. 

Her  work  did  not  lie  in  the  direction  of  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association ;  nevertheless  she  showed  real  interest 
and  asked  many  intelligent  questions.  She  felt  the  convent 
to  be  in  comparative  safety;  so  much  so,  that  she  authorized 
me  to  extend  to  any  sisters  whom  I  might  meet  in  my  travels 
who  were  in  need  of  a  refuge,  a  cordial  invitation  to  come  to 
them  without  delay.  I  consider  this  a  proof  of  confidence  in 
the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association. 

The  conversation  then  turned  to  the  work  carried  on  among 
women  by  the  churches  in  America,  and  so  much  of  it  was 

41 


new  to  her,  that  the  remainder  of  her  conversation  can  best 
be  represented  by  exclamation  points.  The  internal  economy 
of  a  convent  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  in  revolutionary 
times  would  be  an  interesting  study  in  itself. 

The  next  day  I  spent  some  time  in  the  diocesan  book  store, 
where  the  clergy  congregate.  The  world  over,  where  are  you 
more  likely  to  find  the  clergy?  The  pathetically  small  supply 
of  books,  church  ornaments,  and  fittings  in  this  store  was  a 
good  indication  that  economic  conditions  were  materially 
affecting  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church.  Today,  one  of  the 
hardest  places  in  which  to  buy  an  ikon  is  Siberia. 

An  appointment  having  been  made  on  my  behalf,  I  went 
to  call  on  the  Right  Reverend  Eugene  at  his  office  in  the  city, 
with  Mr.  Kochurga  as  my  interpreter.  While  waiting  in  the 
anteroom  for  the  Bishop  to  be  free,  I  listened  to  the  conversa¬ 
tion  of  several  priests  who  had  suffered  much  at  the  hands 
of  the  Bolsheviki,  and  as  I  heard  them  recounting  their  direful 
experiences,  it  sounded  like  a  page  of  early  church  history. 

I  would  characterize  my  reception  by  Bishop  Eugene  as 
enthusiastic.  He  knew  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa¬ 
tion  and  wondered  when  we  would  undertake  some  definite 
work  in  Blagovestchensk,  and  stood  ready,  he  said,  to  render 
us  every  assistance  in  his  power.  He  begged  for  books  on  the 
Association. 

Our  conversation  was  along  the  usual  lines  after  this, 
namely,  the  Anglican  Church,  reunion,  the  Old  Believers,  and 
church  economics.  His  time  was  so  limited  that  we  left  many 
topics  untouched,  but  he  graciously  invited  me  to  visit  his 
monastery  outside  the  city  and  to  be  present  at  the  Liturgy 
on  the  following  Sunday.  This,  however,  I  was  unable  to  do. 
In  recalling  the  personality  of  the  Bishop  of  Blagovestchensk, 
my  recollection  is  of  a  man  still  young,  very  kindly,  enthusi¬ 
astic,  and  modern. 

September  13th  proved  a  very  busy  day — a  trip  to  China 
and  a  call  on  the  collector  of  customs ;  a  call  on  a  sick  Old 
Believers’  priest;  a  visit  to  his  church;  a  visit  to  the  Russian 
Orthodox  Seminary;  an  inspection  of  the  incomplete  cathe¬ 
dral  ;  a  trip  to  the  Molokan  Church ;  and  lastly,  a  long  conver¬ 
sation  with  the  pastor  of  the  local  Baptist  congregation. 

In  Habarovsk,  the  Old  Believers’  bishop  had  asked  me  to 
call  upon  their  priest  and  inspect  their  church.  I  was  very 
sorry  to  find  him  ill  when  I  did  so,  and  so  I  bothered  him  but 
little  with  questions.  Two  of  the  members  of  the  church, 

42 


however,  opened  the  church  for  me  and  showed  me  everything, 
explaining  many  features  in  detail,  and  giving  interesting  side 
lights  on  local  church  history.  I  was  sorry  not  to  be  present 
at  a  service  in  this  church,  but  was  fortunate  in  being  able 
to  examine  everything  about  the  church  and  grounds. 

Recalling  the  connection  the  senior  priest  of  the  Russian 
Orthodox  Church  in  Habarovsk  had  with  the  Blagovestchensk 
Seminary,  I  was  interested  in  making  a  visit  to  this  seminary 
and  inspecting  the  buildings  and  grounds.  The  seminary  was 
not  in  session  and  the  buildings  were  guarded  by  Japanese 
soldiers.  The  chapel,  located  at  the  top  of  the  building,  con¬ 
tained  one  or  two  old  ikons  of  evident  value.  As  one  would 
naturally  expect  in  a  theological  school,  this  well-used  chapel 
seemed  to  be  the  center  of  its  life. 

The  unfinished  cathedral,  just  opposite  the  seminary,  occu¬ 
pies  the  commanding  site  in  the  city,  and  it  is  a  shame  that  it 
is  incomplete,  but  the  faulty  construction  which  has  not  yet 
been  remedied  may  be  the  cause  of  the  delay.  From  the 
seminary  a  good  view  of  the  Molokan  Church  may  be  obtained. 
The  sect  of  the  Molokans,  Milk-drinkers  as  they  are  some¬ 
times  called,  is  exceedingly  prosperous  in  the  Blagovestchensk 
area.  Members  of  this  sect  own  many  of  the  largest  buildings 
in  town,  control  the  steamboat  lines,  and  engage  in  many  im¬ 
portant  lines  of  business.  Of  course,  I  could  not  neglect  this 
opportunity  of  visiting  their  church,  which  is  a  substantial 
structure  without  excessive  ornamentation,  capable  of  holding 
several  hundred,  and  resembled  somewhat  a  Carnegie  library 
building.  Inside,  it  was  perfectly  plain,  with  a  pulpit  or  read¬ 
ing  desk  at  one  end  and  chairs  and  pews  for  the  worshippers. 
I  had  no  opportunity  of  attending  any  of  the  services.  On  this 
day,  Saturday,  several  of  the  members  were  about  the  church 
engaged  in  preparations  for  Sunday,  and  from  them  I  was 
able  to  gather  information  that  perhaps  I  would  not  have 
gained  from  a  formal  interview  with  the  church  officials. 
When  I  asked  if  they  had  any  ikons,  they  vehemently  asserted 
that  they  never  allowed  such  things  in  their  church  buildings. 
They  evidently  are  whole-hearted  pro-testants  from  the  posi¬ 
tion  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church.  Before  the  Association 
undertakes  a  work  in  Blagovestchensk,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
study  this  interesting  sect  and  to  plan  an  approach  accordingly. 

At  the  Molokan  church,  I  was  told  of  a  minister  who  would 
be  very  glad  to  talk  with  me  on  religious  questions.  I,  there¬ 
fore,  called  upon  him  with  the  idea  that  he  was  one  of  their 
ministers,  and  at  once  began  to  question  him  as  to  the  par- 

43 


ticular  tenets  of  the  sect.  He  answered  my  questions  carefully 
and  stated  the  Molokan  position  with  a  frankness  that  at  times 
actually  embodied  stern  criticism,  incompatible  with  the  be¬ 
liefs  of  a  Molokan.  For  the  first  time  my  suspicions  were 
aroused,  and  I  said  to  him,  “How  can  you  hold  such  beliefs 
and  criticize  them  so  calmly?”  He  replied  with  a  smile  of 
understanding,  “I  am  the  Baptist  minister  here,  not  a 
Molokan.” 

This  Baptist  minister  spoke  English  accurately,  and  it  was 
a  real  pleasure  to  get  his  estimate  of  local  religious  conditions. 
He  was  deeply  versed  in  theology  and  could  express  himself 
with  a  clearness  that  was  refreshing.  It  seemed  to  me  a  good 
opportunity  to  get  his  valuation  of  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Church  and  also  the  local  sects.  Out  of  curiosity,  I  asked 
him  to  state  the  Anglican  position  as  he  understood  it,  and, 
judging  from  the  keen  analysis  and  just  balance  which  he 
preserved  in  presenting  my  own  church  position,  I  have  every 
reason  to  suppose  that  he  stated  the  Orthodox  and  other  be¬ 
liefs  with  a  like  accuracy. 

He  spoke  of  his  own  denomination,  the  Baptists,  and  gave 
me  some  insight  into  their  problems.  I  spoke  of  the  Associa¬ 
tion,  but  explanations  in  the  face  of  his  wide  knowledge  of 
us,  were  not  necessary.  It  would  be  interesting  to  speak  of 
the  Baptists  and  other  sects  which  have  been  created  under 
the  influence  of  Protestantism  in  the  West,  but  we  must  hark 
back  to  this  report.  In  passing,  however,  I  might  say  that 
imported  religious  bodies  have  heretofore  been  unable  to 
compete  with  Russian  sects,  to  say  nothing  of  the  Russian 
Orthodox  Church. 

HABAROVSK 

My  absence  from  Habarovsk,  though  brief,  was  sufficient  to 
make  me  almost  a  total  stranger  to  conditions  on  my  return. 
Things  move  rapidly  in  Habarovsk.  The  Association  had  been 
forced  by  the  authorities  into  a  single  room  and  it  was  inti¬ 
mated  that  our  presence  was  no  longer  desirable.  The  military 
masters  of  the  city  could  not  be  accused  of  pro-Americanism. 
However,  these  matters  have  undoubtedly  been  dealt  with  in 
the  regular  Habarovsk  report  to  the  senior  national  secretary. 

On  September  17th,  with  Secretaries  Smith  and  Donnan 
and  Mr.  Valisuk,  I  made  a  call  on  the  Old  Believers’  Bishop. 
Secretary  Smith  had  his  camera  with  him  and  the  Bishop  put 
on  his  vestments  and  was  photographed  in  various  poses, 
alone,  and  with  a  group  of  us.  We  did  not  indulge  in  any 

44 


theological  discussion,  but  enjoyed  a  friendly  visit.  The 
Bishop’s  household  and  several  members  of  the  church  were 
introduced  and  an  “entente  cordiale”  was  established.  The 
Old  Believers  admitted  us,  apparently,  into  their  inner  circle. 
Such  friendliness  made  the  parting  difficult.  I  firmly  believe 
that  among  these  people  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa¬ 
tion  numbers  true  friends  and  well-wishers. 

VLADIVOSTOK 

The  week  following  my  arrival  in  Vladivostok  was  spent 
in  and  about  that  city,  making  preparations  for  my  departure 
for  Japan.  At  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Phelps,  I  addressed  the 
secretaries  of  the  Association  and  their  friends  on  the  subject 
of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church.  The  talk  was  about  the 
history  and  doctrines  of  the  Church,  rather  than  my  personal 
experiences  with  church  officials.  I  did  emphasize  the  point 
that  to  know  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  we  must  attend 
her  services  constantly,  and  insisted  that  the  duty  of  every 
secretary  working  in  Russia  is  to  do  so.  Whereupon,  Execu¬ 
tive  Secretary  Hollinger  urged  those  present  to  accompany 
me  to  services,  so  that  difficult  points  might  be  explained  as 
they  arose. 

HARBIN 

The  relation  of  the  local  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association 
to  the  local  Russian  Orthodox  Church  was  different  in  every 
place  I  visited  and  presented  its  own  problem.  In  Harbin,  for 
instance,  the  relation  between  the  Association  and  the  Church 
was  friendly  at  first,  but  later,  misunderstandings  had  arisen. 
An  experienced  secretary,  such  as  Mr.  Hoffman,  was  able  to 
make  a  number  of  friendly  contacts,  but  admitted  his  failure 
to  correct  certain  misunderstandings.  Accordingly,  some 
months  before  this  he  had  requested  help  and,  at  the  sugges¬ 
tion  of  the  senior  national  secretary,  I  had  planned  to  stop 
off  on  my  way  home. 

I,  therefore,  consulted  with  Secretary  Hoffman  in  detail  as 
to  his  problems  in  the  city  work  and  how  I  could  best  help 
him.  As  my  interest  lay  in  the  direction  of  the  Russian  Ortho¬ 
dox  Church  and  the  appeal  of  the  Association  to  the  Russian 
people,  I  did  not  devote  any  time  to  the  army  work  the  Asso¬ 
ciation  was  carrying  on  under  wise  leadership. 

October  1st  I  spent  the  day  with  Secretary  Hoffman,  and 
in  the  evening  addressed  one  of  his  English  classes.  This 

45 


class  of  Russians  was  composed  of  representative  business 
men.  After  the  talk,  we  had  tea  and  a  social  time  together. 
The  next  day  the  American  editor  of  the  Russian  News,  a  man 
long  familiar  with  Russian  life,  came  to  see  me,  and  talked  of 
conditions  in  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  as  he  had  known 
them  in  years  past.  That  same  afternoon,  he  brought  the 
editor  of  the  leading  Russian  paper  for  an  interview,  and 
assisted  the  regular  Association  interpreter.  This  editor 
proved  to  be  an  exceedingly  interesting  man.  He  had  been 
educated  for  the  priesthood  in  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church, 
and  was  a  graduate  of  an  important  seminary.  As  a  thinking 
man,  whose  opinion  was  of  value ;  as  a  man  trained  in 
theology ;  as  a  Russian  patriot — we  pressed  him  for  definite 
answers  in  the  light  of  his  training  and  experience,  and  he 
replied  candidly.  He  took  a  very  gloomy  view  of  the  church 
situation,  and  spoke  of  the  Church  as  sick  and  in  need  of 
recovery,  but  offered  no  constructive  criticism.  He  had  but 
little  praise  to  bestow  upon  the  Church,  and  seemed  to  despair 
of  her  future,  yet  when  we  suggested  that  she  might  give 
place  to  other  Christian  bodies,  the  thought  was  abhorrent  to 
him.  With  extreme  vehemence  he  showed  his  disapproval  of 
such  a  possibility,  and  thereby  displayed  the  working  of  the 
typical  Russian  mind. 

I  spent  the  morning  of  October  3rd  making  calls  with 
Secretary  Hoffman  upon  several  people  interested  in  the  work 
of  the  Association,  and  discussed  its  religious  aims  with  them. 
The  importance  of  such  calls  cannot  be  overestimated. 
There  is  no  better  way  to  sound  opposition  than  to  have  the 
chance  to  meet  the  objections  and  the  objector. 

In  the  afternoon  Secretary  Hoffman  and  I,  with  a  good 
interpreter,  called  upon  Father  Patavian,  the  Russian  Ortho¬ 
dox  priest  connected  with  the  chapel  of  the  commercial  school. 
He  received  us  cordially  and  we  talked  definitely  about  the 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  and  the  problems  of  local 
adjustment.  It  seems  that  the  Association  had  been  mis¬ 
represented  sometime  before  to  the  Bishop  of  Samara,  Michael, 
in  whose  jurisdiction  Harbin  is  located.  In  a  letter  to  this 
priest,  which  he  himself  showed  me,  the  Bishop  had  in  effect 
advised,  or  rather,  ordered  him  to  withdraw  his  personal  sup¬ 
port  from  the  work  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association. 
The  existence  of  such  a  command  had  been  long  suspected  by 
the  Association,  but  this  was  the  first  time  any  tangible  evi¬ 
dence  of  it  had  come  to  light.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  to 
Bishop  Michael  on  August  21st,  not  then  knowing  of  the 

46 


existence  of  this  letter,  I  did  not  take  this  matter  up  with 
him;  therefore,  there  was  nothing  I  could  say  definitely  to 
Father  Patavian  about  the  attitude  of  Bishop  Michael  toward 
the  Association  at  the  time  of  the  writing  of  this  letter,  which 
was,  I  believe,  about  the  first  of  March  of  this  year.  However, 

I  did  tell  him  that  since  then  many  officers  of  the  Association 
had  called  on  Bishop  Michael,  and  that  I  myself  had  had  a 
pleasant  interview  with  him,  and  I  assured  him  on  my  per¬ 
sonal  responsibility  that  undoubtedly  the  Bishop  had  changed 
his  attitude.  I  suggested  that  he  write  asking  for  confirma¬ 
tion  of  my  statement. 

In  further  conversation,  Secretary  Hoffman  was  able  to 
outline  in  detail  some  of  his  plans  for  the  work  of  the  Young 
Men’s  Christian  Association,  and  Father  Patavian  from  time 
to  time  made  useful  suggestions.  After  this,  Father  Patavian 
and  I  talked  of  Russian  Orthodox  church  matters,  and  I  gave 
him  an  account  of  my  travels  and  experiences  with  church 
officials.  He  invited  me  to  be  present  behind  the  screen  at 
the  chapel  of  the  commercial  school  the  next  day. 

Accordingly,  on  Saturday,  accompanied  by  Secretary  Hoff¬ 
man,  I  went  to  the  school  chapel  for  Vespers  and  Matins.  I 
was  met  at  the  entrance  by  Father  Patavian  and  escorted  to 
my  place  behind  the  screen.  The  chapel  of  the  commercial 
school  is  one  of  the  brightest,  cleanest,  newest,  and  best- 
lighted  of  any  I  visited.  The  services  were  well  conducted  and 
the  large  congregation  was  attentive  and  devout.  At  the  close 
of  the  service  as  we  came  down  into  the  nave  I  bowed  to  the 
students,  and  was  presented  by  Father  Patavian  to  the  prin¬ 
cipal  and  some  of  the  teachers,  but  unfortunately  there  was 
little  time  for  conversation,  as  I  was  obliged  to  hurry  away 
for  the  train.  This  was  the  last  service  I  attended  in  Siberia. 

I  hope  to  hear  that  the  relations  of  the  Association  to  the 
Russian  Orthodox  Church  in  Harbin  are  sympathetic  and 
cordial,  as  the  prospect  seemed  so  bright  when  I  left. 

PEKIN 

On  October  4,  1919,  I  left  Harbin  for  Pekin,  stopping  over 
night  at  Mukden.  After  a  few  days  in  Pekin,  accompanied 
by  Professor  Alfred  Heinz,  of  Tsing  Hua  College,  whom  I  had 
met  in  July  while  he  was  acting  senior  secretary  of  the  Asso¬ 
ciation  in  Krasnoiarsk,  I  called  on  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Bishop  of  Pekin,  the  Right  Reverend  Bishop  Innocent.  As 
I  had  no  appointment  with  him,  and  he  happened  to  be  very 
busy,  our  talk  was  necessarily  brief.  He  did  tell  us  something 

47 


of  his  work  and  we,  in  turn,  acquainted  him  with  Siberian 
conditions  of  Church  and  State.  We  spoke  of  the  work  of  the 
Association  on  behalf  of  Russia,  and  questioned  him  as  to  the 
nature  of  his  work  in  China.  He  then  introduced  us  to  a 
Russian  priest,  Father  Demitrius,  who  took  us  about  the  com¬ 
pound  and  seemed  delighted  to  be  speaking  Russian  again 
and  hearing  news  of  the  homeland. 

We  visited  all  the  buildings — the  old  church,  the  bishop’s 
chapel,  the  flour  mill,  and  the  printing  presses,  and  spent  a 
very  interesting  hour  or  more  in  the  library,  inspecting  books, 
pictures,  and  vestments.  The  Russian  mission  suffered 
severely  at  the  hands  of  the  Boxers  in  that  rebellion,  and  there 
are  many  interesting  relics  of  those  stirring  times.  The  mis¬ 
sion  was  not  getting  any  support  from  Russia  and,  therefore, 
was  more  or  less  straitened.  The  printing  presses  and  flour 
mill  apparently  supply  most  of  the  income.  In  fact,  the  prob¬ 
lems  are  the  typical  problems  of  any  mission  work. 

SEOUL 

On  October  26th,  I  visited  the  Russian  Orthodox  Mission 
in  Seoul,  and  met  the  Russian  priest,  evidently  the  only  one 
in  Korea.  The  interview  was  conducted  in  Russian,  Korean, 
and  English.  We  visited  the  Russian  Church,  which  the  mis¬ 
sionaries  of  the  English  Church  frequently  attend. 

This  mission  is  in  dire  straits.  Very  little  active  missionary 
work  is  carried  on.  No  aid  had  been  received  from  Russia  for 
years,  no  means  of  self-support  appeared  to  have  been  in¬ 
augurated,  and  the  actual  money  needed  for  the  work  had 
come  for  a  year  or  more  from  the  Anglican  Church  Mission 
under  the  Right  Reverend  Bishop  Trollope.  This  is  a  con¬ 
crete  example  of  the  friendly  relationship  which  exists  between 
the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  and  the  communion  of  which  I 
am  a  member. 

CONCLUSIONS 

Up  to  this  point,  the  report  has  dealt  with  the  details  of  my 
mission,  and  I  have  made  few  attempts  to  view  the  Russian 
Orthodox  Church  as  a  whole,  which  is  necessary  in  such  a 
study  as  this.  Before  passing  on  to  recommendations  of  ways 
and  means  by  which  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association 
can  be  of  assistance  to  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  take  a  general  view  of  it. 

The  roots  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  lie  buried  deep 
in  the  past.  To  understand  properly  the  movements  in  the 

48 


Church  today  and  to  grasp  the  principles  actuating  the  leaders 
of  the  Church,  it  is  imperative  that  we  know  the  history  of 
this  great  and  venerable  institution.  So  important  is  this  and 
so  pertinent  to  any  report  on  the  condition  of  the  Russian 
Orthodox  Church  today,  that  one  is  tempted  to  sketch  in  out¬ 
line  the  history  from  its  very  beginning.  This,  however,  can¬ 
not  be  done.  It  is  well  to  remember  that  the  Russian  Ortho¬ 
dox  Church  is  a  lineal  descendent  of  the  Church  of  Constanti¬ 
nople,  and  in  her  presentation  of  religious  truth  follows  East¬ 
ern  modes  of  thought  which  are  extremely  difficult  for  West¬ 
ern  minds  to  grasp. 

Doctrinally,  “the  Orthodox  faith  rests  on  the  Seven  Great 
Councils.  Every  addition  or  subtraction  or  alteration  in  the 
creeds  and  the  Orthodox  confessions  of  faith  is  a  change  in  the 
essence  of  Christianity  and  an  innovation  dangerous  and  to  be 
rejected.”  To  quote  Birkbeck,  one  of  the  greatest  of  modern 
students  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  “in  the  splendor 
of  her  sanctuaries,  the  solemnity  of  her  ceremonial,  and  the 
beauty  of  her  liturgy  and  divine  offices,  she  stands  without 
a  rival  in  Christendom;  while  as  regards  the  faith  which  she 
holds,  it  is  the  same  which  was  delivered  to  her  more  than 
nine  centuries  ago  from  an  undivided  Catholic  Church,  without 
alteration,  mutilation,  or  addition  of  any  kind  whatever.” 

Doctrinal  stability  is  the  proud  boast  of  this  historic  church. 
She  never  has  said,  “It  makes  no  difference  what  you  believe,” 
but  has  insisted  upon  right  belief  as  the  basis  of  right  conduct. 
A  church  which  has  come  down  from  the  time  of  the  Apostles 
in  unbroken  succession  is  a  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary 
land  in  this  our  age  of  apparently  unending  religious  con¬ 
troversy. 

Orthodoxy  is  synonymous,  in  many  minds,  with  stagnation. 
It  is  easy  to  say  that  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  has  not 
made  any  progress  for  generations,  but  extremely  difficult  to 
prove.  The  greatest  living  Anglican  theologian,  Bishop  Gore, 
says,  “Progress  in  Christianity  is  always  reversion  to  an 
original  and  perfect  type,  not  addition  to  it ;  it  is  progress  only 
in  the  understanding  of  the  Christ.”  The  Russian  Orthodox 
Church  has  never  given  one  uncertain  sound  with  reference 
to  the  center  and  core  of  all  Christianity,  the  divine  Son  of 
God,  Jesus  Christ,  and  when  the  treasures  of  the  Church  are 
really  unlocked  to  Western  minds,  her  progress  in  the  under¬ 
standing  of  the  Christ  will  be  made  manifest. 

The  Russian  Church  is  a  church  in  which  God  Almighty  is 

49 


worshipped.  From  the  beginning  of  a  service  to  its  very  end, 
the  keynote  is  worship.  “The  Lord  is  in  his  holy  temple,  let 
all  the  earth  keep  silence  before  him.”  This  is  a  lesson  that 
we  have  been  slow  to  learn  in  the  West.  With  all  the  splendor 
of  the  Russian  services  and  the  intricate  movement  of  the 
ceremonial,  we  must  never  be  blinded  to  the  fact  that  it  is  all 
centered  in  this  great  teaching,  “All  things  come  of  Thee,  O 
Lord,  and  of  thine  own — of  music,  of  light,  of  splendor,  of 
devotion — have  we  given  Thee.” 

Those  of  us  who  are  familiar  with  liturgical  worship  recog¬ 
nize  frankly  the  danger  which  lurks  in  the  repetition  of  fa¬ 
miliar  prayers  and  ceremonial  acts.  One  must  be  constantly 
on  guard  lest  the  letter  kill  the  spirit.  As  a  writer  has  said 
of  the  Russian  Church :  “The  liturgy  and  ritual  themselves,  if 
regularly  used  and  followed,  unconsciously  perhaps,  and  with 
subtlety,  magnified  form  instead  of  substance,  and  made  easy 
the  exaltation  of  ikon  worship  and  the  miraculous  in  religion.” 

On  the  other  hand,  neglect  of  symbolism  and  ceremony  in 
worship  leads  to  poverty  of  spirit,  entailing  great  loss  to  the 
worshippers.  “Symbolism  finds  the  shortest  way  to  the  heart.” 
“Occasion  for  symbol  arises  in  proportion  to  the  richness  of 
faith,  the  complexity  of  religious  experience,  and  the  apprehen¬ 
sion  of  the  mystery  of  God.  .  .  .  The  symbol  creates  its 

own  atmosphere.  It  is  able  to  suggest — it  appeals  to  imagi¬ 
nation  and  association.”  .  .  .  There  is  “a  power  of  the 

symbol  to  unite,  to  embrace  in  one  atmosphere  the  whole 
group  with  which  you  desire  to  deal.  .  .  .  That  which  has 
to  be  done  in  some  way,  let  it  be  done  in  a  way  which  is  sig¬ 
nificant  of  truth.  That  which  has  to  exist  in  some  form,  let 
its  form  be  expressive  rather  than  meaningless.”  These  sig¬ 
nificant  words,  which  appear  in  a  recent  article  in  The  Ex¬ 
pository  Times  for  July,  1920,  entitled  “The  Use  of  Sign  and 
Symbol  in  Worship,”  by  Dr.  Wotherspoon,  are  indicative  of  a 
need  felt  today  of  a  proper  valuation  of  symbolism  in  worship. 

However,  not  only  does  neglect  of  symbolism  and  ceremony 
in  worship  lead  to  poverty  of  spirit,  it  also  leads  to  individ¬ 
ualism.  The  individualistic  note  has  been  characteristic  of 
Protestant  worship  from  the  beginning.  This  point  is  brought 
out  by  Dr.  Henry  Sloane  Coffin  in  “A  Day  of  Social  Re¬ 
building”  : 

“Public  prayer  and  praise  has  been  too  individualistic,  but 
the  day  of  social  litanies,  national  penitence,  and  intercessory 
prayers  and  praise  that  seek  to  connect  with  God  in  his  pur¬ 
pose  for  every  aspect  of  the  community’s  life  has  arrived.  .  .  . 

50 


I  would  like  to  see  a  church  edifice  opened  for  several  different 
kinds  of  worship  on  Sunday  and  throughout  the  week  to  meet 
the  various  temperaments  and  tastes  of  its  community.  There 
should  be  the  service  of  propaganda  and  of  teaching,  where  the 
element  of  devotion  is  at  a  minimum;  and  there  should  be  the 
devotional  service  where  preaching  is  omitted  or  occupies  but 
a  brief  part  of  the  time.  There  should  be  a  service  with  con¬ 
siderable  ritual  and  symbol  and  a  service  of  the  utmost  in¬ 
formality.  The  more  catholic  the  individual  church,  the  less 
need  for  denominational  subdivisions  to  answer  the  desires  or 
to  fit  in  with  the  traditions  of  particular  groups/’ 

The  glory  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  is  that  its  wor¬ 
ship  is  both  symbolic  and  social,  and  this  is  one  of  its  great 
contributions  to  Christianity. 

The  Russian  Orthodox  Church  is  tremendously  interested 
in  the  problem  of  the  reunion  of  the  churches.  In  fact,  she 
prays  daily  for  it.  The  barriers  of  distance  and  language  which 
for  generations  have  separated  East  and  West  have  in  a  way 
delayed  her  contribution  to  this  great  issue,  but  with  the 
changed  conditions  she  has  been  taking  definite  steps  toward 
reunion,  particularly  in  the  direction  of  the  churches  of  the 
Anglican  communion.  Her  long  dispute  with  Rome  is  not  at 
an  end.  As  a  church,  she  knows  very  little  of  the  great 
Protestant  churches.  “To  the  Russian  Church,  Rome  and 
Protestants  are  regarded  as  partaking  of  the  same  error,  viz., 
the  exalting  of  the  individual  at  the  expense  of  the  whole  body 
of  Christ,  whether  that  individual  be  Pope  or  college  pro¬ 
fessor.”  She  will  always  be  cautious  in  her  approach  to  other 
churches,  but  I  believe  she  will  always  be  sincere. 

“The  Russian  Church  is  sick  in  body  and  soul,”  as  Arch¬ 
bishop  Platon  says.  She  stands  in  need  of  drastic  reforms. 
The  church  officials  and  the  laity  recognize  this,  and  are  work¬ 
ing  toward  this  end.  I  have  heard  advocated  in  many  an  un¬ 
official  conversation,  startling  measures  for  church  reform. 

Reforms  are  being  brought  about.  To  quote  from  an  article 
by  Alfons  Paquet  in  the  Frankfurter  Zeitung ,  on  the  Russian 
Church : 

“It  may  seem  parodoxical,  in  view  of  the  storm  of  suffering 
which  is  at  present  (1918)  shaking  the  Russian  people,  to 
declare  from  the  standpoint  of  an  unaffected  bystander,  so  to 
speak,  that  this  time  of  test,  too,  will  pass  over  and  the  re¬ 
ligious  life  of  Russia  will  only  lead  to  a  new,  richer  develop¬ 
ment.  .  .  .  For  ages,  the  best  men  of  Russia  have  fought 

for  the  liberation  of  the  Church  from  the  ban  of  Czarism  and 
from  the  prison  of  its  formalistic  Byzantine  tradition.  .  .  . 

51 


The  inner  reforms  of  the  Church  are  coming  to  pass  in  a  tem¬ 
perate  manner  which  calls  to  mind  Western  church  forms. 
They  are  directed  toward  the  abolition  of  extremely  long 
masses  .  .  .  toward  the  introduction  of  congregational 

singing,  toward  an  active  cooperation  of  the  laymen  in  the 
administration  of  the  congregation,  and  among  other  things, 
by  the  growing  participation  of  the  women  in  problems  of 
social  welfare.” 

The  social  message  of  Christianity  has  not  received  its 
modern  emphasis  in  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church.  A  state 
church  apparently  never  leads  in  social  reform.  However,  the 
social  message  is  not  the  entire  content  of  Christianity,  though 
practical  Christianity  is  the  watchword  of  today.  The  ten¬ 
dency  of  our  time  to  do  rather  than  to  be  calls  for  rebuke. 
Activity  in  itself  is  not  Christian  character. 

When  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  actively  engages  in 
efforts  of  social  amelioration,  keeping  clearly  in  mind  the 
above  distinction,  great  good  is  bound  to  result.  What  possi¬ 
bilities  for  cooperation  with  the  Russian  Church  along  social 
lines  are  open  for  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association! 

The  Church  has  alienated  thousands  and  her  sins  of  omission 
and  commission  hang  about  her  neck  as  did  the  albatross 
about  the  neck  of  the  Ancient  Mariner.  However,  as  has  been 
said,  “the  Church  is  indestructible  and  its  influence  inex¬ 
tinguishable  in  Russia.  It  can  be  made  an  agency  to  reach 
millions  for  good,  who  can  in  no  other  way  be  reached.  It 
needs  sympathy  and  it  needs  aid.” 

The  Right  Reverend  Henry  St.  George  Tucker,  Bishop  of 
Kyoto,  in  1918  was  one  of  the  first  three  commissioners  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  to  enter  Siberia  from  the  east  by  way 
of  Vladivostok.  Although  he  had  no  official  connection  what¬ 
soever  with  either  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  or  the  Young 
Men’s  Christian  Association,  he  evidently  availed  himself  of 
opportunities  to  attend  the  church  services,  and  to  estimate 
the  Church’s  hold  upon  the  people  and  to  consider  ways  in 
which  she  could  be  helped. 

His  statement,  which  follows,  corroborates  my  own  im¬ 
pressions  : 

“We  had  many  opportunities  of  attending  the  services  of 
the  Russian  Church.  We  found  that  the  people  in  Siberia 
whom  we  met  seemed  to  have  very  little  regard  for  the  Church 
as  a  state  institution  and  for  its  officials,  or  even  the  clergy 
in  their  official  status ;  nevertheless  the  services  were  com¬ 
paratively  well  attended.  What  surprised  us  most  was  that 

52 


we  often  found  more  men  than  women  in  the  congregation. 
While  there  seems  to  be  great  dissatisfaction  in  Russia  with 
the  way  in  which  the  church  affairs  have  been  managed  and 
while  the  revolutionary  movement  of  the  past  few  years  has 
been  accompanied  by  quite  a  widespread  revolt  against  Chris¬ 
tianity,  yet  among  the  mass  of  people  there  is  still  a  great 
deal  of  deep  religious  feeling  which  finds  satisfaction  in  the 
services  of  the  Church;  and  while  it  is  greatly  in  need  of  re¬ 
form,  in  some  directions  the  Russian  Church  has  a  splendid 
opportunity  for  service  in  the  work  of  reconstruction  in 
Russia.  One  gathers  that  for  success  in  this  work  it  is  indis¬ 
pensable  that  the  Russian  Church  should  have  the  help  and 
sympathy  of  the  other  great  churches  of  Christendom,  but 
that  this  help  to  be  effective  should  be  given  through  the 
Russian  Church  and  not  in  the  form  of  independent  religious 
propaganda.” 

Contact  with  the  Old  Believers  and  various  sects  in  Russia 
leads  us  to  believe  that  the  hope  for  the  unification  of  Russia 
lies  not  with  them  but  with  her  national  Church,  however 
much  we  admit  the  necessity  for  reform  in  the  Russian  Ortho¬ 
dox  Church.  Naturally,  our  Western  modes  of  thought  cause 
us  to  feel  a  deeper  sympathy  for  some  of  these  sects  than  for 
the  national  Church,  because  we  are  so  familiar  with  the  terms 
which  they  employ.  A  deeper  examination  of  their  tenets, 
however,  shows  but  a  superficial  resemblance. 

The  forces  at  work  in  Russia  today  are  diabolical.  When 
the  Russian  loses  his  religion,  he  loses  his  all.  Every  social 
safeguard  falls,  and  to  rend  and  tear,  to  kill  and  devour,  be¬ 
comes  his  sole  object. 

To  say  that  the  Church  has  no  hold  on  Russia  and  Siberia 
today  is  not  true.  To  prevent  desecration  and  defilement  the 
Church  has  resisted  to  death  in  many  localities,  and  the  deeds 
of  these  heroic  priests  and  lay  people  will  in  time  be  known 
to  the  world.  At  present,  they  are  hid  from  sight.  Although 
times  are  evil  in  Siberia  and  Russia,  we  must  not  overlook  the 
fact  that,  amid  all  the  turmoil  and  distress  that  has  come  upon 
this  distracted  people,  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  has  con¬ 
sciously  and  unconsciously  a  hold  upon  the  hearts  and  imagi¬ 
nation  of  the  people.  It  is  true  that  “the  Russian  Church  is 
the  one  element  that  can  be  safely  inherited  from  the  Russian 
past  and  remodeled  and  made  available  for  the  Russian 
future.”  “The  Orthodox  Church  has  the  power  to  give  co¬ 
hesion  to  Russia.  It  is  the  one  hope  of  Russia.” 

Paradoxical  as  it  may  seem,  the  best  way  at  present  to 
help  Russia  as  a  nation  is  to  leave  her  alone.  There  was  a 

53 


time  when  assistance  could  have  been  rendered  and  perhaps 
some  of  the  recent  horrors  prevented,  but  it  seems  to  be  the 
consensus  of  opinion  of  those  who  have  had  experience  in 
Russia  and  Siberia  that  now  the  Russian  people  must  work 
out  their  own  salvation.  It  is  hard  to  conceive  that  a  nation 
such  as  Russia  could  be  brought  so  low.  It  has  always  been 
a  land  of  mystery ;  shut  off  by  language  barriers  from  the  rest 
of  Europe,  Russia  has  “dwelt  apart.”  “Poor  Russia!  Poor 
Russia !”  is  a  cry  I  have  heard  from  one  end  of  Siberia  to  the 
other — a  cry  that  is  wrung  from  men’s  hearts,  not  only  as  they 
look  back  over  the  past,  but  also  as  they  look  into  the  future. 
What  a  slogan! 

Again  I  reiterate  my  profound  conviction  that  the  only  hope 
of  Russia  lies  in  her  Church.  The  practical  issue  we  must  con¬ 
sider  is  this :  When  the  time  is  ripe,  how  can  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  render  the  greatest  possible  assistance 
to  the  Church? 

In  this  connection,  we  need  to  remind  ourselves  of  the  rela¬ 
tion  the  Association  should  hold  to  the  Church. 

In  “The  Association  Secretaryship”  (by  Mr.  C.  K.  Ober), 
the  relation  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  to  the 
Church  is  expressed  in  these  words: 

“The  Association  is  constitutionally  and  fundamentally  loyal 
to  the  Church.  Evidently  this  loyalty  should  express  itself  not 
merely  in  definition,  but  in  service.  The  relationship,  there¬ 
fore,  of  the  Association  Secretary  to  the  churches  of  his  com¬ 
munity  should  be  that  of  a  servant.  .  This,  as  a  rule,  is  true  to 
Association  practice,  and  the  principle  is  being  increasingly 
worked  out  in  programs  of  cooperative  work  in  which  the 
Association  Secretaries  help  Church,  Sunday  school  and 
Young  People’s  Society  to  solve  the  problems  of  their  own 
young  men  and  boys  in  their  own  organization  and  work. 
The  Association,  in  the  working  out  of  such  a  program,  be¬ 
comes  the  laboratory  of  the  Church  and  the  results  of.  experi¬ 
mentation  and  achievement  by  Association  specialists  in  work 
with  young  men  and  boys  becomes  the  property  of  the  Church 
so  far  as  it  can  appropriate  them.” 

General  Order  No.  10,  Sec.  7,  issued  in  March,  1919,  by  the 
senior  national  secretary  for  Russia,  outlined  the  relation  of 
the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  to  ecclesiastical  or¬ 
ganizations  in  these  words: 

“We  are  in  Russia  to  promote  the  spiritual  life  among 
young  men  and  boys  in  cordial  cooperation  with  the  spiritual 
forces  in  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  and  other  churches. 

54 


We  cannot  make  alliances  with  the  ecclesiastical  organiza¬ 
tion,  but  are  in  accord  with  all  spiritual  minded  Christians.” 

General  Order  No.  11,  Sec.  2,  Paragraph  B  reads  as  follows: 

“To  promote  the  development  of  the  permanent  Russian 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  movement  by  wise  dem¬ 
onstration  of  the  Association  principles  and  methods,  by  mak¬ 
ing  all  possible  points  of  contact  with  public-spirited  leaders, 
by  cultivating  sympathetically  the  leaders  of  the  Orthodox 
Church,  and  by  enlisting  Russian  leaders  for  the  work  of  the 
Association  itself.” 

In  this  report  I  have  dealt,  in  at  least  two  particulars,  with 
my  attempts,  as  the  representative  of  the  senior  national  sec¬ 
retary  for  Russia,  to  carry  out  the  spirit  and  purport  of  his 
General  Orders,  i.  e.,  “the  making  of  all  possible  points  of 
contact  with  spiritual  leaders”  and  “by  cultivating  sympatheti¬ 
cally  the  leaders  of  the  Orthodox  Church.” 

Not  only  has  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  been  thus 
officially  approached,  but  also  individual  secretaries  in  their 
particular  fields  have  in  many  cases  traveled  far  along  the 
royal  road  of  sympathy.  A  specific  instance  of  this  is  well 
worth  recording.  The  senior  secretary  of  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  at  Novo-Nikolaevth  one  cold  winter 
day  joined  himself  to  a  funeral  procession,  making  its  way 
over  the  deep  snow  to  a  distant  cemetery.  Aside  from  the 
priest  and  the  immediate  family,  he  was  the  only  mourner. 
The  people  were  absolutely  unknown  to  him.  On  his  way 
back,  he  had  some  conversation  with  the  priest,  who  wondered 
why  this  American  in  a  foreign  uniform  would  take  part  in 
the  funeral  of  an  unknown.  A  point  of  contact  was  thus  estab¬ 
lished  with  a  local  priest. 

Later  on,  the  daughter  of  this  priest  became  very  ill.  The 
secretary  visited  the  home  daily,  taking  with  him  medicine, 
tinned  supplies,  and  honey,  and  continued  to  assist  this  house¬ 
hold  until  the  death  of  the  girl.  He  then  aided  the  family  in 
their  need,  photographed  the  remains — thus  complying  with  a 
Russian  burial  custom — was  present  at  the  funeral,  and  accom¬ 
panied  the  body  to  the  cemetery.  At  the  funeral  feast  he 
was  given  the  place  of  honor  at  the  able,  and  when  I  met  this 
priest,  his  attitude  toward  the  personnel  of  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  was  one  of  real  gratitude  and  deep 
friendliness. 

This  illustration  seems  as  though  it  were  taken  from  a 
Sunday  school  book  of  the  last  generation  but,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  it  is  the  contribution  of  one  Young  Men’s  Christian 

55 


Association  secretary  to  the  right  understanding  of  all  church 
approach.  We  shall  forfeit  the  confidence  of  the  Russian 
Orthodox  Church  unless  our  official  attitude  of  sympathy  is 
so  interpreted  by  each  individual  who  shall  work  in  Russia 
and  Siberia. 

As  a  result  of  the  opportunity  given  me  for  “cultivating 
sympathetically  the  leaders  of  the  Orthodox  Church,”  I  re¬ 
spectfully  submit  a  few  recommendations  of  ways  and  means 
by  which,  in  my  judgment,  the  Association  can  carry  out  this 
official  program  of  “cordial  cooperation  with  the  spiritual 
forces  in  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church.” 

I.  STUDY  OF  THE  SERVICES  OF  THE  RUSSIAN 

ORTHODOX  CHURCH 

The  average  Association  secretary  knows  practically  noth¬ 
ing  about  the  great  liturgical  churches  of  Christendom,  par¬ 
ticularly  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church. 

During  my  mission  in  Siberia,  I  found  that  with  few  ex¬ 
ceptions  the  secretaries  were  not  regular  in  their  attendance 
at  worship,  and  this  is  a  fact  to  be  deplored.  Because  the 
services  cannot  be  followed  and  thoroughly  understood  at 
the  second  or  third  trial  is  not  sufficient  excuse  for  secretaries 
officially  committed  to  approach  the  Russian  Church  and  to 
try  to  help  her  “in  the  solution  of  her  problem,”  to  neglect 
attendance  at  the  church  services. 

Language  barriers  are  no  excuse.  Not  everyone  can  get 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  church  Slavonic  over  night,  but  it 
is  surprising  how  quickly  one  becomes  familiar  with  it  in 
church  services.  It  is  not  the  language  of  Russian  daily  life, 
but  the  lives  of  the  people  are  so  colored  and  influenced  by 
the  Church — household  customs  in  many  cases  being  prac¬ 
tically  church  ceremonies  transferred  to  the  home — that  the 
language  is  interpenetrated  with  church  phraseology.  One 
must  even  go  to  church  to  learn  how  to  swear. 

However,  the  church  services  have  been  translated  into 
English.  The  best  book  of  which  I  have  any  knowledge  is 
the  “Service  Book  of  The  Holy  Orthodox-Catholic  Apostolic 
(Greco-Russian)  Church,”  compiled,  translated,  and  arranged 
by  Isabel  Florence  Hapgood.  Every  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association  secretary  in  Russia  should  possess  this  book,  and 
be  familiar  with  it  from  cover  to  cover.  A  second  edition  is 
now  being  issued  by  Association  Press. 

To  those  who  are  unacquainted  with  the  principles  of  litur¬ 
gical  worship,  the  Russian  ceremonial  is  decidedly  compli- 

56 


cated,  but  there  are  certain  fundamental  principles  upon  which 
all  liturgical  worship  rests.  When  these  are  analyzed,  and 
their  component  elements  grasped,  it  is  seen  that  they  form 
parts  of  a  perfect  whole  which  is  the  aim  of  every  liturgical 
service.  Without  making  such  analysis  and  study,  few  are 
capable  of  appreciating  the  spiritual  value  of  a  service  in  the 
Orthodox  Church,  but  after  such  a  study  of  underlying  prin¬ 
ciples  and  repeated  attendance  at  the  services  a  new  light  on 
doctrine  and  practice  is  gained. 

Books  on  liturgies  should  be  collected  by  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association,  and  made  available  for  the  use  of  sec¬ 
retaries.  The  Association  is  bound  to  have  men  who  will  be 
interested  in  this  branch  of  study.  They  should  be  given 
every  encouragement.  If  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation  can  interpret  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  to  the 
average  American  at  home,  the  indirect  effect  will  be  a  more 
sympathetic  attitude  and  a  better  approach  to  other  liturgical 
churches.  There  are  great  possibilities  in  this. 

Before  secretaries  are  despatched  to  Russia,  it  might  be 
well  for  them  to  attend  Russian  Orthodox  services  in  some 
church,  for  instance  in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Nicholas  in  New 
York  City.  If  they  show  any  ability  whatsoever  to  adjust 
themselves  to  such  services,  and  to  profit  by  them,  they  will 
certainly  be  of  more  use  in  their  work  in  Russia,  and  any 
preconceived  notions  concerning  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Church  can  thus  be  dealt  with  before  the  secretary  is  sent 
to  the  field. 

The  duty,  therefore,  of  every  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation  secretary  for  Russia  and  Siberia  should  be  to  make  a 
study  of  the  services  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  and 
to  apply  and  appropriate  their  spiritual  values  by  constant 
attendance  upon  divine  worship. 

II.  COMPILATION  OF  A  HANDBOOK 

A  working  knowledge  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church 
would  presuppose  acquaintance  with  Russian  church  history 
and  customs.  The  proper  books  for  such  a  study  are  hard 
to  obtain  and  one  would  need  to  dig  through  a  mass  of  ex¬ 
traneous  matter  to  come  upon  points  pertaining  directly  to 
the  subject.  Therefore,  I  recommend  that  the  Association 
compile  a  small  handbook  containing  an  epitome  of  Russian 
church  history,  with  specific  directions  for  conduct  at  serv¬ 
ices,  as  well  as  notes  on  the  Old  Believers’  Church  and  the 

57 


various  Russian  sects  with  which  the  Association  will  sooner 
or  later  come  into  contact. 

III.  RELIGIOUS  PROGRAMS 

1.  In  planning  the  Association’s  religious  programs,  a 
friendly  approach  to  the  general  and  local  clergy  should  al¬ 
ways  be  made  and  their  services  enlisted.  They  are  usually 
very  anxious  to  cooperate  when  they  really  know  what  the 
Association  proposes  doing,  although  the  lack  of  knowledge 
often  makes  them  hesitate  to  offer  their  services. 

2.  In  planning  religious  services,  the  ecclesiastical  year 
must  always  be  kept  in  mind. 

3.  Christian  education  is  one  of  the  fundamental  needs  of 
Russia  today.  The  customary  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation  Bible  class  is  a  most  useful  and  helpful  way  of  meeting 
this  need,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  is  not  the  only 
way  in  which  religion  may  be  taught.  Catechetical  instruc¬ 
tion,  talks  on  church  symbolism,  explanations  of  church  doc¬ 
trine,  definite  moral  instruction,  for  instance,  are  good  ways 
to  reach  the  Russian  mind  and  should  be  used. 

4.  The  whole  world  of  modern  homiletical  aids,  Sunday 
school  lesson  systems,  and  guild  and  society  handbooks,  with 
which  we  are  so  familiar,  could  be  readily  adapted  for  the  new 
conditions  which  are  coming  in  Russia.  In  these  particular 
fields,  no  organization  could  better  create  or  more  readily 
supply  the  demand  than  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation. 

5.  The  establishment  of  diocesan,  and  later  on  parochial, 
libraries  has  been  one  means  by  which  the  Church  in  various 
countries  has  met  this  need  for  Christian  education.  Every 
encouragement,  therefore,  should  be  given  the  Russian  Ortho¬ 
dox  Church  through  its  organization  to  establish  such 
libraries.  The  Association  should  cooperate  definitely  by  issu¬ 
ing  bulletins  of  educational  and  religious  books,  by  direct  gifts 
of  books  and  papers,  and  by  translating  into  Russian  standard 
and  current  theological  works. 

6.  The  Russian  Orthodox  Church  is  a  great  Bible-reading 
church.  The  Church  in  times  past  has  issued  Bibles,  por¬ 
tions  of  Scripture,  books  of  devotion,  and  instructive  litera¬ 
ture,  but,  owing  to  the  high  cost  of  paper  and  the  difficulty 
of  printing,  the  supply  of  such  books  has  ceased.  The  price 
of  a  New  Testament  has  risen  beyond  the  means  of  even  the 
well-to-do,  and  even  those  who  can  pay  the  price  cannot  se- 

58 


cure  the  books.  Naturally,  as  a  result,  Bible  reading  has 
fallen  off.  It  is  true  that  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation  issued  the  four  gospels,  with  the  approbation  of  the 
Russian  Orthodox  Church,  but  that  edition  is  long  since  ex¬ 
hausted.  To  meet  definite  appeals  for  Bibles  is  one  of  the 
great  doors  of  opportunity  open  to  the  Association. 

In  order  to  distribute  Bibles  most  effectively  in  Russia,  I 
heartily  urge  the  Association  to  act  through  the  church  or¬ 
ganization.  If  each  bishop  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church 
were  requested  to  make  an  estimate  of  the  number  of  Bibles 
he  could  distribute  in  his  diocese,  and  his  need  were  supplied, 
the  Association  could  be  sure  of  reaching  a  vast  number  of 
those  who  earnestly  desire  the  Word  of  God.  An  extra 
supply  should  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Church  for  her 
missionary  work.  The  needs  of  the  Old  Believers  and  the 
various  sects  could  also  be  supplied  through  their  organiza¬ 
tions.  All  these  schemes,  however,  do  not  preclude  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  the  distribution  of  the  Bible  with  a  personal  message 
by  individual  secretaries  to  those  out  of  touch  with  all  forms 
of  organized  Christianity. 

IV.  USE  OF  THE  BUILDING 

1.  Ikons  properly  placed  in  the  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association  buildings  are  essential. 

2.  The  opening  of  the  Association  buildings  for  prayer 
services  conducted  by  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  is  neces¬ 
sary  to  our  work. 

3.  To  meet  the  needs  of  the  more  enlightened,  meetings  for 
discussion  on  various  religious  topics  should  be  held.  How¬ 
ever,  if  ill-considered  attacks  on  the  Russian  Orthodox  posi¬ 
tion  be  countenanced  in  these  discussions,  instead  of  “ap¬ 
proaching  the  Russian  Church  sympathetically,”  the  Associa¬ 
tion  will  directly  antagonize  it. 

4.  The  use  of  the  stereopticon,  moving  pictures,  and 
pageants  for  the  presentation  of  religious  truth  is  most  im¬ 
portant. 

V.  INFORMATION 

The  Russian  church  officials  and  clergy  whom  I  met  in 
Siberia,  with  rare  exceptions,  know  very  little  about  the  Young 
Men’s  Christian  Association  and  its  threefold  appeal  to  man — 
body,  soul,  and  spirit.  Time  and  time  again  I  was  asked  for 
literature  on  the  subject — for  books,  papers,  and  magazines. 

59 


There  should  be  wide  distribution  of  Association  material, 
with  the  aim  of  placing  literature  in  the  hands  of  every 
bishop,  priest,  deacon,  and  intelligent  layman  in  the  Russian 
communion. 

Nothing  will  come  of  the  best  laid  religious  plans  unless 
they  are  backed  by  the  earnest,  wholehearted  interest,  energy, 
and  prayers  of  the  secretaries  in  charge  of  the  local  Associa¬ 
tions.  As  has  been  said,  “the  misfortune  of  us  all  is  that  we 
know  so  little,  even  nothing  about  one  another,  about  the  soul, 
the  life,  the  sufferings,  the  habits,  the  aspirations  of  one  an¬ 
other.”  To  establish  the  right  relation  between  the  Russian 
Orthodox  Church  and  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association, 
patience  and  knowledge  are  the  foundations  on  which  we  must 
build. 

A  beginning  has  been  made  in  the  general  direction  of  all 
these  recommendations.  To  be  sure,  but  little  has  been  ac¬ 
complished  so  far,  and  there  is  no  likelihood  that  active  work 
on  a  large  scale  can  be  begun  for  some  time.  However,  far- 
reaching  plans  may  be  laid,  and  when  the  Association  is  free 
to  enter  Russia  and  begin  actual  work,  much  can  be  expected. 
There  certainly  is  a  place  for  the  organization  in  Russia.  We 
are  needed.  We  can  be  of  great  help  to  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Church.  The  Russian  Orthodox  Church  can  be  of  great  help 
to  us.  With  mutual  respect  and  hearty  cooperation,  each  in 
its  own  sphere  can  do  much  for  “Poor  Russia.” 


60 


